Hülkenberg reveals why Sauber is holding back 2026 sim runs

Nico Hülkenberg has revealed that Sauber, Audi’s future works outfit in F1, is deliberately holding back on giving its drivers an early taste of its 2026 car in the simulator, citing the risk of misleading early impressions amid rapid design flux.

With new power units blending sustainable fuels and electric propulsion, and active aerodynamic promising slightly lighter, more agile machines, rival squads like Williams, Ferrari, and Aston Martin have already unleashed sim versions of their next-generation cars.

But feedback from those early sessions has painted a mixed picture – with some decrying the handling quirks of the prototypes. Yet Sauber remains sidelined, denying Hulkenberg and teammate Gabriel Bortoleto their first digital laps.

Simulator Silence: Avoiding Early Pitfalls

Speaking last weekend in Monza, Hulkenberg unpacked the strategic restraint gripping the Hinwil outfit. The 38-year-old emphasized the team's wariness of premature exposure in a development phase that's anything but stable.

“It’s still at the moment all evolving quite a lot and quickly,” he said, quoted by Motorsport Week. “So they don’t want to give a false impression and false reference. That’s why I think we’re still holding back a little bit at the moment.”

This measured mindset stands in stark contrast to the buzz from other camps, where drivers like Charles Leclerc and Alex Albon have voiced frustrations over the 2026 car's anticipated balance and downforce.

Hulkenberg, however, brushed aside the chatter, signaling a pragmatic focus on firsthand experience over hearsay.

“To be honest, I don’t care what others have said,” he admitted. “Eventually you drive the simulator, and you get what you get. You’ll have obviously certain views and feelings then about it.

“It’s certainly going to be different, that’s to be expected. But then, come next year when we hit the track in real life, it’s all quite new. So it’s just about exploring, learning and adapting quickly then to these new regulations.”

Hulkenberg's poise underscores a broader team philosophy: in an era of unprecedented change, rushing into sim time could sow confusion rather than clarity, especially as aerodynamic and powertrain concepts iterate at breakneck speed.

Rueda: Calendar and Development Curve Pose Challenges

Sauber Sporting Director Iñaki Rueda, outlined both the logistical and technical difficulties of exposing drivers too early to next-generation machinery.

“Before a race you would like to have a race driver in the sim a whole day,” he told The Race earlier this summer

“So, for example, Nico was in last Friday, and Gabi was in this Monday and they were running Zandvoort and Monza, so they already had to split one day for two circuits.

“If you start looking at the calendar, and you start looking for slots of when can the driver come in, it’s really difficult to slot [in].

“Then, on top of that, they say, ‘OK I want to start trying the C46 [2026] car, so when do I find a slot for this?’ And it starts becoming really challenging.”

Beyond scheduling, Rueda emphasized that showing drivers a car still in flux could do more harm than good.

“I know when we are going to start exposing the drivers to the C46 car, but you don’t want to do it too early with the fear that the car that you’re going to show to them is still very different to what they will actually drive.

“The development curve is so big at the moment that you might be in something one week, but then a week later things are different, in a different window.”

• Read also: Leclerc warns F1 drivers must ‘erase muscle memory’ for 2026 cars

For both Hülkenberg and Rueda, the message is clear: patience and precision will be vital as Audi readies itself for F1’s next rules revolution.

Rather than rushing drivers into evolving simulator models, Sauber is prioritizing accuracy – ensuring that when its drivers finally sample the 2026 car, it will provide feedback that truly matters.

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