Hülkenberg hopes to get more performance with Audi move in 2026

Nico Hülkenberg is the only German regular driver left in Formula 1 currently at Haas, but he will take a new path in his career from next year when he joins Kick Sauber, the Audi works team from 2026.

German carmakers Audi will offer more resources, more budget and more personnel as the driver hopes to be able to fight for more than just a few points.

"Hopefully you get more performance, a better car and a better package. Factory teams are bigger, they have more resources, more budget, more manpower," he told dpa in an interview ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday.

"These are the ingredients that the top teams have. And Audi has them too. We then have to mix these ingredients well so that it becomes a good package and a well-rounded affair," he said

The contract with Kick Sauber/Audi also gives Hülkenberg more security, putting him in a "beautiful situation."

"This brings a certain stability and calm and is comfortable. I also know the other side very well - when it feels like every race can be decisive as to whether things will continue," he said.

Hülkenberg, who made his F1 debut in 2010, was an option for Ferrari for the 2014 season, but the traditional Italian team decided to bring back their 2007 champion Kimi Räikkönen.

Hülkenberg said that he never talked to then team principal Stefano Domenicali, now F1 president, about the team's reasons to give up on him.

"Because he always says: 'Not now, it will come later,'" the driver said.

But from 2026 he will have the chance to race for a home team - and maybe to stand on the podium for the the first time in his F1 career.

"I'm flying the German flag high and will in future be a kind of ambassador for the Audi brand. No matter which country we travel to or which race we attend, Audi is present in every market and in every country. This also gives you a different presence and responsibility," he said.