Hülkenberg Braces For Sauber’s ‘Building Year’ In 2025 As Audi Era Looms

Nico Hülkenberg is strapping in for a “building year” with Kick Sauber in 2025, and he’s not shy about the climb ahead. The German driver, speaking at the F1 75 Live season launch at London’s O2 Arena, called it a “long road ahead” for a team licking its wounds from a dismal 2024. After banking two steady years at Haas, Hülkenberg’s back with Sauber—a squad he raced for in 2013—and he’s got his eyes on progress, not instant glory.

Sauber’s 2024 was a gut punch, finishing rock bottom with just four points. Hülkenberg, now 37, knows the score. “In some ways it’s a building year,” he said, laying it out plain. “Our target is to be competitive and to obviously score as many points as possible. You always have to remember where we came from last year – it’s a difficult kind of starting point.” That starting point stings compared to Haas’s 54-point haul, but a late-season upgrade in Vegas last year showed Sauber’s got some fight. Hülkenberg’s here to fan that spark.

Flash back to the launch event, and Hülkenberg’s sizing up his return. “There have been quite a few familiar faces, especially in the factory. I think the race team has changed quite a bit,” he said. “But yeah, it revives old memories from 2013. I think the atmosphere is pretty positive, pretty upbeat, keen and eager, ready to go. Obviously [the team] had a challenging season last year, but they’re very motivated to turn things around and to write a different story this year.” The Hinwil crew’s itching to flip the script, and Hülkenberg’s calm grit fits the bill.

The 2025 season’s a bridge to something bigger—Audi’s works team takeover in 2026. Hülkenberg’s already feeling the pull. “It’s obviously a long road ahead, with the process started now, and behind the scenes many things are already ongoing with respect to next year, which is a big thing and exciting, especially for myself, being German with a German manufacturer and works team,” he said. “A lot of things to look forward to, and [I] look forward to getting the season started soon.” A German driver syncing with Audi’s factory muscle? That’s a headline waiting to pop.

He’s not dreaming blindly, though. “The team and us, we’ve been pushing over the winter but right now we can obviously only speculate where we are, where everybody else is,” he admitted. “For us the motto is head down, push hard, work hard and maximise everything on and off track. [We’ll] go for the opportunities when they come.” No wild swings—just grind and grab what’s there. He’ll pair up with Gabriel Bortoleto, the 20-year-old F2 champ stepping into F1 with zero mileage. Hülkenberg’s 227 starts, podium-less but packed with know-how, will steady the ship.

Sauber’s unveiling of a sharp new livery at the F1 75 event, with Hülkenberg and Bortoleto front and center, sent a message: they’re not mailing it in. The German’s been around the block—literally—and his stock’s still high while others fade. Take Kevin Magnussen, his old Haas wingman, now seatless. Why’s Hülkenberg still in the game? “It’s about where you are with the team, how competitive are you, but ultimately at the end of the day it’s about bringing results, bringing value to the team,” he said. “I think for me in 2023 and last year, [things] went very positive and successful. It kind of gave me this new opportunity, this new deal with Sauber and next year with Audi. I think that’s basically it.”

He’s not just surviving—he’s thriving. “I’ve really had a good time, I’ve enjoyed myself, probably more than ever before in Formula 1, even more than in my first stint of my career in F1,” he added. “Feel it, love it, live it!” That fire landed him here, post-hiatus, after proving his worth at Haas. Motorsport Week pegged it: Hülkenberg’s 2025 is about planting seeds for Audi’s 2026 harvest. He’s not chasing fairy tales this year—just points, progress, and a shot at that nagging first podium.

Sauber fans might need patience, but Hülkenberg’s all in. The grid’s shifting, Audi’s coming, and the veteran German is ready to roll. Bring on 2025.