Hulkenberg admits first Sauber stint was a mistake

Nico Hulkenberg admits his first decision to join the Sauber team in Formula 1 over a decade ago was a mistake.

New 100 percent Sauber owner Audi has snapped up the German from 2025 and beyond to spearhead its transition to full works status.

But when asked this week by DPA news agency to outline whether he has any career regrets, he admitted his past experience with the Hinwil based outfit “was not the best”.

“Regret sounds so harsh and extreme,” said Hulkenberg. “But yes, there were one or two interesting team changes. In retrospect, the move to Sauber in 2013 was not the best.

“The first half of the season was extremely difficult. The change of teams for me did not bring what it should have. Force India, the team I left, was very good. If I had stayed there, my career might have taken a different course and I would have ended up somewhere else at the end of 2013.”

Indeed, Hulkenberg – still yet to stand on a single podium despite competing in well over 200 grands prix – had some talks with Ferrari in 2013.

He was asked by DPA if he has ever asked then Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali, currently the CEO of Formula 1, why the fabled team turned him down.

“Not yet,” Hulkenberg smiled. “He still just says ’we’ll talk later’. So I don’t know – I don’t have a crystal ball.”

After 2013, Hulkenberg returned to Force India before moving on to the works Renault team. But after 2019, he lost his race seat and left the sport until he kick-started his F1 career at Haas in 2023.

“In 2019, the air was a bit out of it. It wasn’t as fun anymore,” said Hulkenberg, now 37. “The lightness, the joy was a bit lost because the atmosphere at Renault was no longer as good. Maybe it was a dead end.

“I then drew my conclusions and said ’I’m leaving now and we’ll see what happens’.”

What happened is Hulkenberg impressed at Haas so much that he caught new Sauber owner Audi’s eye.

He’s hoping the transition to works status will give him a better experience at Sauber this time.

“Hopefully more performance, a better car, a better package,” said Hulkenberg. “Factory teams are bigger, they have more resources, more budget, more manpower. These are the ingredients that the top teams have, and Audi will have them too.

“We then have to mix these ingredients well to make a good package and a well-rounded product.”

Hulkenberg admits that he feels more ready for the next phase of his career compared to a decade ago.

“Experience is worth a lot,” he said. “I’ve noticed that especially since my comeback. I can draw on my experience – Fernando (Alonso) and Lewis (Hamilton) can do that even more.

“In today’s Formula 1, we no longer have tests, there are fewer opportunities to practice – it’s basically just the race weekends. If you don’t find your feet straight away as a rookie, it’s extremely difficult.

“If you then have two or three difficult weekends, you immediately have headwinds and pressure from all sides. But you have to perform and have speed. That’s where experience helps Fernando, Lewis and me.

“With my comeback, I turned over every stone to find and get every ounce of performance out of myself,” said Hulkenberg. “I’ve also gotten older and a lot has changed in my private life with my wedding and child.

“This has given me more stability and, thanks to the break, I also have a different appreciation for Formula 1.”

And although Sauber is now the slowest team on the grid, Hulkenberg says he’s up for the challenge of 2025 and beyond. “Definitely,” said the German. “But I’ve also proven that many times in Formula 1.

“Now I’ll be flying the German flag high and will be an ambassador for the Audi brand, which is active globally. No matter which country we go to or which race, Audi is present in every market and in every country. That means you have a different presence and responsibility.”