Nico Hülkenberg: The team is undergoing changes.

      The Hinwil team is racing its final Grands Prix as Sauber. Next year it will become Audi’s works team, and in Qatar Nico Hülkenberg assessed how much progress has already been made this season.

      Nico Hülkenberg: “Of course, we’ve had ups and downs, like any midfield team. At the start of the season we were playing catch-up, not in the best positions, but after Barcelona we managed to turn the tide and take control of the situation. We had a few strong performances, some big results. Overall, we’ve made good progress.

      I can see changes happening behind the scenes, how the team is growing. We’ve really managed to come together and improve in many aspects. Of course there’s always more to improve and work on, but it was great, and I’m looking forward to the next twelve months.

      There’s a good atmosphere in the team, and it’s obvious when you’re scoring points and are able to fight with rivals. Everyone is happy and passionate about their work, which creates the right mindset.

      You mustn’t forget where the team was last year – it was clearly a very difficult season. But the team and I managed to recover and regroup, and the reward has been strong race performances.

      For most of the year our car has allowed us to compete at a competitive level in the midfield. We’ve come a long way, but we need to keep going.”