Danner advises Hülkenberg not to leave Audi.
The start of the season for Audi F1, the new factory team built on the basis of Sauber, cannot be called impressive. So far, it has only two points to its name, earned by Gabriel Bortoleto in the first round of the season in Australia, but since then neither he nor his experienced teammate Nico Hülkenberg, who is already in his 16th season in Formula 1, has managed to finish in the points.
However, in 2011 he was a reserve driver for Force India, and from 2020 to 2022, returning to the team from Silverstone, which had by then been renamed Racing Point and later transformed into Aston Martin, he continued to work with them in the same capacity as a third driver and only started a few times, replacing the main drivers.
But now he races for Audi and has already finished in 11th place twice this year, yet he has not managed to score points. Additionally, he has had two retirements due to technical issues.
Rumors have already emerged that Nico may leave Audi, but Christian Danner, a former Formula 1 driver, believes that the situation could still change for the better and advises Hülkenberg not to give up.
"On one hand, he could be replaced, but on the other hand, the team is still quite capable of having a good weekend," Danner, now an expert for the Austrian publication Motorsport Magazin, reflects. "Audi F1 has many minor problems, and the list is quite long, and so far it is not getting shorter. The team only declares its desire for constant progress, but there are currently no signs of it.
The starting positions of its drivers are more dependent on mistakes that competitors might make and the problems they might encounter. But since Audi is still Audi, they are certainly capable of achieving improvements. First and foremost, they need to find the right rhythm while working on the car's upgrades, which is not easy considering that the team is lagging in many areas, including the fact that the Audi power unit clearly lacks power.
The team has many challenges to solve. When it comes to striving for real progress, increasing speed is just one of the issues, but far from the only one. It is very important to improve aerodynamic efficiency, and they are working on that. Audi should not be written off; it is a good team with good specialists, and it can reach a higher level. Therefore, I would definitely advise Nico Hülkenberg not to leave this team and to remain loyal to this project."
Formally, the German driver's contract with Audi F1 expires at the end of 2026, but it includes an option for another season.
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