Exclusive: Hulkenberg: Haas is going to be a serious competitor in the years to come

Soon-to-be former driver Nico Hulkenberg believes the American squad is making changes now that could lead to it fighting further up the F1 grid in the future

Nico Hulkenberg believes Haas’s current investment drive will help it become a “serious competitor in the years to come” in Formula 1, as he prepares to head to Sauber/Audi.

The German driver will leave Haas after a fruitful two-year stint at the American squad – one season working under former team boss Guenther Steiner and one year in the new regime under former engineering director Ayao Komatsu.

Haas is in a much better constructors’ championship position in 2024 as its car package no longer destroys its tyres during races.

This means Hulkenberg’s continued qualifying heroics since returning as a full-time F1 driver in 2023 have been converted into six points finishes, with Kevin Magnussen and his one-off replacement Ollie Bearman also scoring.

The team is currently just three points behind RB in a close battle for the lucrative sixth place in the constructors’ championship.

Team owner Gene Haas has already been convinced to sign off on a recruitment drive designed to increase the squad’s 300-person size by 10% and is believed to have also green-lit a significant investment in the facilities at the team’s UK base in Banbury.

When asked how he predicts Haas’s future will go once he heads to the Sauber team that will become Audi in 2026 amidst F1’s next rules reset in an exclusive interview with Autosport, Hulkenberg replied: “I think the team is set up very well now.

“And I think it's a working organisation and I think we've proved that to some extent this year where with the changes that happened over winter.

“It [also] always depends also on many other factors. Commercially – what kind of partners do they have, what are the budget, what are the resources?

“That's obviously a key element in that kind of question. And I don't know that going forward, what will happen here.

“But I hear that there is some more exciting stuff in the pipeline for the team, which will only help them, I think.

“And I think Haas is going to be a serious competitor in the years to come, especially definitely next year still because the regulations are stable.

“2026 is an unknown for everyone, but the exciting thing is 2026 is a white piece of paper and that makes it so interesting for everyone who could do a better job than other teams and stand out.”

You can read the full interview with Hulkenberg here.