Audi won’t officially enter Formula 1 until 2026 as they acquire 100% of the Sauber team. But they already seem to be exerting a major influence over the Swiss team’s driver line-up.
Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, the team’s current duo, are both out of contract at the end of the season. Right now, Audi don’t seem particularly keen on retaining either driver.
Bottas, who won 10 Grands Prix during his stint at Mercedes, still has a chance of keeping his seat. But the expectation is that Zhou won’t be offered an extension.
The German manufacturer’s top target is clearly Carlos Sainz. Sainz is surely the biggest name on the market right now after Ferrari released him to sign Lewis Hamilton.
Red Bull director Helmut Marko has revealed that Audi have made Sainz an offer so lucrative that not even the world champions can match it. Journalist Lawrence Barretto says Audi and Williams are his two ‘most likely’ destinations after Aston Martin reached an agreement to renew Fernando Alonso’s deal.
According to Martin Brundle, Sainz is coming under pressure to sign quickly. But Damon Hill has warned him that he must prioritise a ‘winning car’ above all else.
Audi are aiming to be competing for the championship within five years of their arrival. But in the short term, it could be a huge step down given that Sauber are currently bottom of the constructors’ standings.
While all of this is going on, they’re looking at potential teammates for Sainz. But that isn’t proving especially straightforward either.
Audi candidate is still aiming for better seat
Journalist Joe Saward says that Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg is Audi’s preferred candidate to partner Sainz. They’re ‘busy in the driver market’ as they look to ‘pin down some star names’.
The problem they have is that neither Sainz nor Hulkenberg want to sign on the dotted line right away. That’s because they know ‘bigger and better drives’ might be available, and they don’t want to rule themselves out.
Indeed, Ralf Schumacher has suggested that Hulkenberg could be a contender for Mercedes or Red Bull. The Silver Arrows are trying to replace Hamilton, while Sergio Perez could potentially leave the latter.
Intriguingly, Perez himself is apparently in contention for an Audi seat if he loses that drive. While that could close one door for Hulkenberg, it could open another with race wins behind it.
Will Nico Hulkenberg go to Audi?
Despite Hulkenberg’s initial hesitation, a move to Audi still looks the most likely outcome. One report has claimed that it could be made official by the end of May, with the German signing a long-term deal.
Another adds that signing the former Renault driver will be ‘no problem’. But it would still make sense for Hulkenberg to delay just in case he receives a phone call from Toto Wolff or Christian Horner.
David Croft directly asked the veteran, who earns £31k per week under his current Haas deal (via Spotrac), about the speculation in the Shanghai paddock. In response, he simply smiled and said ‘we will see’.
The good news for Haas is that they have a standout successor waiting in the wings. Saudi Arabian Grand Prix hero and Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman will drive in six FP1 sessions for the team this year.
The 18-year-old increasingly looks like an ‘inevitable’ signing for Ayao Komatsu. Kevin Magnussen is also out of contract, but Haas may favour his experienced hands alongside the rookie.
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