Does Nico Hulkenberg already regret signing with Audi F1 after recent ‘turmoil’ rumours?

Nico Hulkenberg insists he has no doubts about his decision to sign with Audi F1 as the team revealed the latest puzzle piece with Jonathan Wheatley joining from Red Bull.

Audi, who have taken over the Sauber team before the official rebranding in 2026, have made headlines for a lot of the wrong reasons of late.

Does Nico Hulkenberg regret his early Audi F1 decision?

Following reports of tension amongst the higher-ups at the team, Audi axed both Andrea Stella and Oliver Hoffmann as part of a “realignment of the control structure” before installing former Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto as the chief operational officer and chief technical officer.

A week later the team named departing Red Bull sporting director Wheatley as their new team principal , a role he’ll take up in July next year.

In the midst of that upheaval, the team lost the opportunity to sign Carlos Sainz with the Spaniard instead joining Williams in a multi-year deal.

Pundits have questioned why he chose Williams over the might of a manufacturer such as Audi with claims it was a “vote of no confidence”, while Sky’s Craig Slater believes it hints at “turmoil” within the Hinwil-based team .

But while Sainz has opted for Williams over Audi, the latter has been given a vote of confidence by one new driver with Hulkenberg joining next season.

The German will be leaving Haas to join the Audi F1 project and firmly believes he’s made the right call.

Asked if he had been too quick to sign with Audi, a decision he made in April already, he told Sky F1: “I don’t think so, to be honest.

“I don’t see an opportunity anywhere in the top four teams for me. My mind and my conscious is very calm and clear.”

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The German went on to explain why he was persuaded by the Audi F1 project despite the team not scoring a single point in the first 14 races of this championship, leaving them bottom of the Constructors’ table .

“Every team always tell you, promises you blue sky. ‘We are doing this, and we’re doing that…’,” he said. “But obviously Audi is a pretty powerful and big brand in the world.

“I know how seriously they are taking it, what they are investing, what they’re doing to make sure they are competitive, and that they’re going to be a success.

“On top of that, I think obviously the 2026 rule change offers a really good opportunity for a new manufacturer to come in. It is really like a reset with the resources, the manpower, the budget and the power of the brand.

“I just think that’s a very good opportunity and an exciting project for me and my career.”

Pressed on the team’s lack of points this year, where their best result is Zhou Guanyu’s P11 at the season-opening Bahrain GP, Hulkenberg replied: “For sure, I didn’t say it’s going to come for free and it’s going to come with guarantees.

“There’s a long road to go there, no doubt about it.

“And you know, with Audi obviously, the ambitions the pressure is very high, it always is when when you race for a manufacturer.

“I’m not worried. But I know and they know as well that they need to improve the whole package.”

But while Hulkenberg, 36, is joining a team that’s yet to score a point in 2024, Audi has signed the driver with the most race starts without a podium finish.

Asked if that weighs him down, he said: “Not at all, absolutely not.

“Obviously, there is that stat but there’s also facts like Audi committed to me, a non-podium or Grand Prix winner and preferred me over Grand Prix winners that were available at the time. So stats, they say something, but they don’t always give you the full truth.”

Audi has yet to name Hulkenberg’s 2025 team-mate with Valtteri Bottas reportedly the favourite to retain his race seat.

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