Nico Hulkenberg will leave the Haas F1 Team at the end of the season, paving the way for him to make a move to Sauber.
Hulkenberg has been heavily linked with Sauber for the 2025 F1 season as the Swiss-based outfit gears up for Audi’s entry.
The German has been top of Audi’s wish list for 2026, particularly given Hulkenberg’s starring performances for Haas since the start of last year.
Sauber are expected to confirm the signing of Hulkenberg later today.
Speaking of the announcement, Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said: “I’d like to extend my thanks to Nico for his contributions to the team. In the time that he’s been here with us. He has been a great team player and someone we very much enjoy working with.
“His experience and feedback have proved invaluable to us in terms of improving our overall performance – a fact that’s clearly evident in both his qualifying and race performances in the VF-24 this season.
“There’s lots more racing to go this year, so we look forward to continuing to benefit from his inputs throughout the remainder of the 2024 season.”
Hulkenberg’s departure leaves a vacancy open at Haas.
Oliver Bearman is the heavy favourite to take the seat following his impressive F1 debut with Ferrari in Saudi Arabia.
It’s still unclear whether Kevin Magnussen will remain on the team given the likely options on the market.