Hülkenberg: ‘Impossible’ to predict where Audi will stand in 2026

As Sauber prepares for its transformation into Audi’s full works team in Formula 1, Nico Hülkenberg has acknowledged he’s uncertain about where the outfit will stand in the competitive order next year.

Despite enjoying one of his strongest campaigns in years – including a podium at Silverstone – the German insists predicting the team’s trajectory is nearly impossible.

However, speaking in Hungary last time out, the F1 veteran was upbeat when reflecting on the current season.

The Swiss squad has found new life in the midfield battle since a Spanish Grand Prix upgrade, with Hülkenberg scoring points in five consecutive races, including that long-awaited podium at Silverstone.

“If I look back and reflect on it, I think it’s definitely more positive than anything else,” he said.

“Obviously, if you consider, looking from winter testing when we started, the first couple of races, then since Barcelona, five races consecutively in the points, a podium, a couple of really strong drives and performances from us.

“So, I think the trend is right. It would have been nice to start there, but it came different. But definitely recently, I think we are heading in the right direction.”

That said, he admitted the fight in the midfield remains as unpredictable as ever.

“There are basically five teams that are very, very close to each other. Depending on the day, on the circuit, on the conditions, it swings around a bit, the momentum.”

“Very, very hard to make predictions”

When asked if he feared Sauber could regress next season as Audi takes over, Hülkenberg said the picture was far from clear.

“Hopefully not. But, yeah, in terms of expectations, I think it’s very, very hard to make predictions and to put positions or numbers to it,” he conceded.

“I think, yeah, kind of impossible to be honest, but I think we’ve got to be realistic. It’s still a big challenge for everyone. New regulations obviously have and offer opportunities, but, yeah, there’s no guarantees.”

• Read also: Wheatley hails ‘most collaborative’ driver pairing he’s ever seen

Instead of focusing on speculation, the 37-year-old stressed that the real priority is continuing to grow and strengthen the organization as it transitions into a manufacturer-backed operation.

“The important thing is that we put all the right things in place, that we continue growing, improve the infrastructure, improve the team, the foundation of the team, to become this bigger factory team.”

“And, yeah, I think on that we are kind of obviously on the journey, but there’s always things to do, of course.”

With Audi’s full works entry looming, Hülkenberg has already been involved in simulations for the 2026 regulations, giving the team an early sense of direction.

Still, for all the promise, he remains grounded: building a competitive foundation, he says, will matter more than any prediction about next year’s results.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook