Nico Hulkenberg will leave Haas for Sauber in 2025, the two teams confirmed on Friday.
Hulkenberg joined Haas in 2023 after three seasons without a full-time ride and has been one of the grid’s in-form drivers this season.
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The German driver will join Sauber on a multi-season deal one year before it becomes the Audi team in 2026.
“I’d like to extend my thanks to Nico for his contributions to the team in the time that he’s been here with us – he’s been a great team player and someone we very much enjoy working with, ” team principal Ayao Komatsu said in a statement put out by Haas on Friday.
“His experience and feedback have proved invaluable to us in terns of improving our overall performance – a fact that’s clearly evident in both his qualifying and race performances in the VF-24 this season.
“There’s a lot more racing to go this year so we look forward to continuing to benefit from his inputs throughout the remainder of the 2024 season.”
Sauber drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are expected to leave the team at the end of the season. Sources said Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz is still a strong candidate to join him at the team next season.
Haas is widely expected to sign Ferrari reserve driver Oliver Bearman, who impressed as Sainz’s stand-in at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, to replace Hulkenberg.
It is unclear whether the team will continue with Hulkenberg’s teammate Kevin Magnussen.
Source: www.espn.com