Nico Hulkenberg says the notion of Sauber will change when it turns into Audi subsequent season, and hopes to make use of his expertise to assist velocity up the crew’s improvement.
Sauber has been a midfield crew by nearly all of its Components 1 historical past, and apart from a sixth place in 2022, has not completed larger than eighth within the constructors’ championship since 2013. Subsequent yr it is going to change into the Audi works crew following a takeover by the German automotive model, and Hulkenberg says that may result in much more consideration even when the crew can not anticipate to make a step change.
“The notion will change, for certain,” Hulkenberg advised RACER. “I feel being a producer and being Audi after all, there’s going to be much more eyes on us, much more expectations, however we should be lifelike.
“I do not anticipate that we’ll come and be profitable races from the get-go, we’re in the beginning of a protracted journey. It is a course of and the highest groups nonetheless have, I feel, a giant benefit when it comes to infrastructure and when it comes to factories and all that form of issues. However we’re pushing.
“I hope we’re catching up, however for certain, being a producer, the expectations might be a little bit bit completely different subsequent yr.”
At 38, Hulkenberg is without doubt one of the extra skilled drivers within the sport and has raced for Williams, Power India, Renault, Aston Martin and Haas in addition to Sauber, so is leaning on his personal data to assist push Audi ahead.
“I hope [experience] does [help],” he mentioned. “As a driver, clearly you are purported to race onerous, to drive quick, to deliver outcomes and efficiency, however you may as well contribute in different methods. Clearly the technical aspect, when laws change, there’s loads of new issues to study, to get your head round. I hope I can contribute to a quicker studying subsequent yr.
“I feel it’s all the way down to a mix of issues. Clearly expertise helps, completely different laws, completely different vehicles – you simply have a much bigger wealth of data, how issues labored in numerous eras.
“However then it is a mix of what you are feeling, then clearly what the information measures, what the engineers see. It is only a work in progress always, you drive, you alter issues, you check issues, you get outcomes, you get solutions and you retain going like this and construct the image and construct the data.”
Nonetheless 2026 shapes up, Hulkenberg admits there’s an actual sense of satisfaction for him to have the ability to symbolize a serious German producer crew in F1 at this stage of his profession.
“It is cool,” he mentioned. “It is undoubtedly a possibility that I feel does not come round that always in a driver’s profession. It has clearly up to now for different drivers, however for me, coming again in 2023 with Haas after which how issues advanced from there, it is a fairly loopy story to land that manufacturing unit drive with Audi – to be a part of it and to be nonetheless kicking round after 15 years within the trade. So I’m simply very proud and completely satisfied about that.”
