Nico Hulkenberg admits he was ‘not in the loop’ over Audi’s major management shake-up

Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg has revealed that he did not know about the drastic changes in the German camp until recently.

Nico Hulkenberg admits he was ‘not in the loop’ over Audi’s major management shake-up

Nico Hulkenberg and Audi(images via IMAGO)

Audi announced its plan to enter the grid in 2022 with a factory engine workforce to become a force to be reckoned with in 2026. While the project looked set to conquer the F1 world with its debut in 2026, its progress tumbled down as the Sauber team faced critical challenges leading to the sacking of key men at the top of the ladder. Reflecting on the major shakeup in the Audi project, Nico Hulkenberg admitted that he had no clue regarding such drama going on in the background.

The Volkswagen Group looked to enter the championship as F1 had been on a boom worldwide. Subsequently, Audi came into the spotlight as it announced its plan regarding their entry with Sauber. This was later altered as the German marque bought out full equity of the Swiss manufacturer and had a grasp over its F1 project.

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However, this soon changed as two key members of the project, Oliver Hoffmann and Andreas Seidl were ousted over the past few weekends. Their roles were soon equipped by other members as Mattia Binotto made a return to the F1 grid.

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That would be wrong and a conflict of interest. I'm fully invested in this season still with Haas and fully committed, so I'm not in the loop.
Nico Hulkenberg said in an interview with Sky Sports F1

On the contrary, despite being the team’s future driver, Nico Hulkenberg claimed that he had no clue of the frenzy going on inside the German marque. He then iterated that knowing the plans of rival teams would be a conflict of interest and could be understood as treason for his current employer Haas. Thus, he stated that he is fully focused on Haas over the remaining races and is currently out of the loop of the Audi project.

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Nico Hulkenberg puts firm faith in the Audi project

While the recent sacking of big names could be a sign of misdirection within the team, Audi has a reputation in the motorsport world for acing the regulations on their first try. Subsequently, witnessing such drastic changes affirmed that the German manufacturer is serious about their F1 entry, which made Hulkenberg confident about the progress of the project.

Nico Hulkenberg
Nico Hulkenberg (via IMAGO)

The German driver asserted that he was not worried about the frenzy going on in the background.

I’m not worried. But I know - and they know - that they need to improve the package...I didn’t say it would come for free, or that it's guaranteed. There is a long road, no doubt about it.
Nico Hulkenberg said in an interview with Sky Sports F1

The 36-year-old was realistic as he admitted that the team required to get their things sorted out. However, he stated that there was still a long way to go and the team was on an upward trajectory.

Apart from this, Hulkenberg currently stands 11th in the standings. The German has amassed a total of 27 points and made the most out of the opportunities he has been presented with. Thus, Audi would be getting a high-caliber driver in the form of Hulkenberg and would like to make an impact in the championship.

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