After an underwhelming show in Mexico, Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg fired a warning at his team. The 36-year-old believes that the American team needs to revamp their development if they are to stay in the competition.
This has come amid the rumored contract offer Hulkenberg received from Audi, who are all set to enter the sport from 2026 onwards. Therefore, with a few formidable drivers available in the grid, the German driver thinks Haas needs to get their job done before he or any other star driver thinks of moving elsewhere.
Talking about this, the former Renault star said, as per FormulaPassion Italia, “The collapse in performance was inevitable. We are paying a price for not having made updates, for not having found the performance.”
Following this, Hulkenberg, who few days before praised Haas, further added, “We hope it is a wake-up call for all members of the factory because at this rate we cannot compete in F1.”
Hulkenberg’s desire to drive a competing car seems to be unfulfilled at Haas, and the recent rumors of him moving to Audi might be a result of this. However, things do not look good for Audi at the moment, as there are talks about the F1 project being reversed.
Is Audi reluctant to enter F1?
There were many talks about Audi entering Formula 1 from 2026 F1 onwards. They would make their own engines, buying the existing Sauber team, and rebrand it into Audi. However, the French media recently reported that there are rumors regarding the German heavyweights taking the reverse decision on their F1 entry. This is because the company is apparently pushing towards having a board meeting on this in Audi AG alignment as well as in Volkswagen Group, as per PlanetF1.
Therefore, Nico Hulkenberg might not have an exit from the American team even if he is dissatisfied with the development. Nevertheless, if the German giant does not enter the sport, there are chances that teams like Hitech GP or LKYSUNZ take over the Hinwil-based team.
All in all, Audi’s entry into the sport would open up a magnificent dimension, given how big of an automotive giant they are worldwide. Their entry looks even more fascinating, given they would make their own engines instead of taking from Ferrari, Mercedes, or Red Bull-Ford.
