What Audi's first 2025 driver signing means for F1
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 พ.ค. 2024
- Audi has made its first move in the F1 driver market by signing up veteran Nico Hulkenberg.
It’s a deal that will have a big impact on the 2025 F1 silly season - primarily in the back half of the grid but also in terms of the key decision being made by one big-name driver.
00:00 Intro
02:39 Undesirable drives
04:55 Alpine strugglers
06:05 The hangers-on
08:02 The newcomers
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It's unfortunate F1 has only 19 Seats and one Stroll.
Not only Stroll you can say things about. Logan keeps being prone to mistakes. Russel has issue with driving close behind others.
@@KGI_KlikoNL No way you put Russell in the same sentence as Stroll and Sargeant.
We need 3 drivers per team - a 30 car grid
@@KGI_KlikoNLUnless he gets possessed by the spirit of ayrton senna for the rest of the season, logan will be gone after this year.
@@KGI_KlikoNL you kinda missed the point of the comment, mate. Stroll's seat is semi-permanent, meaning it's not up for grabs ever, until Stroll decides to retire, thanks to nepotism.
Any other sub-par driver on the grid (and any driver at all for that matter) is not guaranteed a seat. Stroll is. This is what OP was getting at.
There's still hope for a Hulkenburg podium!
We're so HulkenBACK
Just in case you have forgotten, the team he is going to has occupied the bottom of the ladder for the past 3 years. Audi won’t make that organisation a top 3 team for another 5 years.
@@MrDiggityaus Last 3 years? They haven't been better than bottom 3 for the last decade with only one exception (6th in 2022). I agree that it will take them a while to be competitive, big brand and money does not necessarily translate to winning as we have seen with BMW or Renault.
For a team just starting, giving Hulk his podium would be a huge win
Why is that important? There so many young and much more talented drivers.
You know what would help promote more drivers into F1? Andretti Racing.
totally, can't stand people moaning about good drivers staying when they dont let andretti in and new drivers in
@@mrbungle3310 The thing is the people who moan about good & new drivers aren't the ones stopping Andretti
In theory yes in practice no. When you start a new F1 team you need experienced drivers who won't crash too much and knows how to help the engineers develop the car
He should buy a team.
Man, you should buy a team and put two rookies in both seats. That would be masterplan.
Sounds like we need an 11th team
Rules permit 13.
@@KAMiKAZOW For now.
@@camillaquelladegliaggettiv4303 FIA writes the rules. Concorde Agreement is no rulebook even if FOM acts like it is.
I think Lawrence Stroll will need to buy an existing or create an 11th team to provide Lance a future seat.
Imagine one of 2 seats of a Newey car being waisted by Lance??
@@stevendickinson7249 Stroll in ANY F1 seat is a waste
It's crazy that sometimes the silly season is more entertaining than the actual season
This year, those two are the same thing.
More opportunity for surprises for sure
Every time one high profile driver changes seats, it's like watching a line of hermit crabs trading shells.
1:07 “TBC (Lance Stroll)” 😂
Good for Nico! Hope they do well together
Honestly a hulkenberg-bottas lineup would be really strong. Too many people have slept on the honorary Australian since he left mercedes.
Bottas is just so meh. I don't get him, he was good at Mercedes and now what? He gives the impression he's logged out and can finally just chill.
Bottas was good when he drove for Williams
@@Czeslaw_cn4tv you don't realize Sauber is bad? Bottas is still good, but not great like Max or Ham.
@@Czeslaw_cn4tv I think he was a tad under his normal level for a year or two but he seems to be back up and running. He was a bit of a giant killer at Williams and might be again.
@@Czeslaw_cn4tvNot much you can do when the team is shit and every decent run you have gets ruined by their inability to do a pit stop.
Surprised there was no mention of Lawson when you listed interesting rookies! He deserves it!
Lawson is part of the RB family which wasn't the subject of this video.
@@jazzrockr So was Albon but he went to Williams. Makes no sense to just exclude him IMHO
They literally mentioned their dedicated video about the Red Bull drivers where he plays a prominent role.
He made a further detailed video for driver movements in red bull teams, and lawson has a high chance to replace daniel in RB seat
@@ancient1946 The thing with Ricciardo is that while he's not going great historically, he showed last year he can be a killer driver if you give him machinery that suits him, and he can actually help build a car. Ricciardo can give you real feedback, Tsunoda has only ever known Alpha Tauris and never been in a top team. Now that alone wouldn't justify keeping RIC, but does Tsunoda really want to stay at RB? I mean, they've made it clear he'll never be a main team driver no matter how well he performs. This years been his best ever and there's zero discussion of him being a replacement for Perez. He's the number 2 driver to Lawson, a guy who doesn't even have an F1 seat yet. They're more interested in Lawson then they've ever been in Yuki. So if Yuki stays, he spends a few more years trying to scrape together points, never getting a podium or a win, and retires. So Tsunoda isn't a guarantee by any means. He's got every reason to jump ship and go to, say, Aston Martin, where his sponsors Honda can continue to pay for his seat guaranteeing him a spot for many more years. If Tsunoda leaves, they'll keep Daniel for 1 more year because they don't have anyone else that could direct the team, and Marko has made it clear RB cannot be a team with only rookie drivers anymore.
Hopefully he can finally get a podium
a driver who didn't score a podium in over a decade joined a team which hasn't scored a podium in over a decade. Sounds like a winning combination...
Agree, I am really happy for Hulkenberg.
with the worst team?
@@znlivesportswho knows. Maybe in 2026 Audi will come out with a rocket engine like mercedes in 2014. Even Williams in that year had a shit car but the merc engine and scored podiums
I can’t believe Lawson would be left out of the conversation
Why? He’s going to Red Bull Jrs. when Ricciardo is gone.
He is a nobody
Lawson is RB property
Lawson drives for the Other Bulls next season... probably with Yuki... Riciardo is either gone or takes second seat at Haas... depends on Bottas if he stays with Sauber or goes to Haas himself (first Haas driver is 100% Magnussen)
@@zbynekurbanek3345 who are you ?
Would be great to see Sainz at Red Bull just for ‘25- can he sign two contracts at once? 😂
Need to ask Webber how that's best done;)
He can sign a team for 26 and a team for 25
@@idontknow4449 Yeah, just an attempt at an easy joke. Piastri likely didn't actually have two enforceable contracts at the same time otherwise, it would have been a legal shitshow. Alpine messed up, thought they had a contract when in reality it was either not signed or with a lot of loop holes in it.
The only flashes of speed Sargeant demonstrates is when he misses the braking point ahead of the corner. He is a genuine miracle man, though. Miracle that he's driving an F1 car.
Money Makes Miracles
That's not fair, last year he consistently got closer to Albon every single weekend. That's why they kept him for this year. Unfortunately he's just not been able to continue that trend so far. He's hardly the worst driver on the grid imo, he was literally pulled from F2 early because he was the only option Williams had. The odds were always against him
@@CharlesFreck Plus the money he brings with him, no?
I like he got a second chance and I like Wowles giving him a few more as he has. But he does pay a fair chunk to be in the team, right?
@@AntiVaganza nope. There's never been a single suggestion of him paying for his seat. He brought zero sponsors to the team and has no major personal sponsors. He's not a financial asset at all
His family are literally war criminals ffs
“He’s obviously keen to stay in race-winning machinery, so… Mercedes” might be the funniest thing I’ve heard this week.
Funny isn't it, that it's 2 seasons without a win and none to come this year. Mercedes are a mid field team 😂 people need to get over it, Mercedes will not figure out this Formula. 2026 is their only hope.
Only 3 or 4 teams more likely to win a race, last year they were 2nd best (ok 3rd probably). Them and the other 3 are still fighting closely all the time. I wouldn't say they are an unlikely team to win a race in the near future.
Bring back the German GP so we can maybe see a German manufacturer with a German CEO and German driver win on German soil. I'm not even German but that would be cool to see.
too nationalistic, we cant have that
@@deadbeef576better than us nationalism
there are german manufacturers, german drivers germany deserves a spot in f1
@@birandkorayloved when they swapped every other year between the 2 tracks
@@deadbeef576what's wrong with that. German GP was always a good time.
I don't get how this is cool. Maybe we should focus less on nationalities and focus on the racing instead.
What's the difference between Bearman's stand in performance in the 2nd fastest car on the grid compared to Nyck De Vreis @ Monza 22? I don't understand the hype on drivers after 1 Grand Prix!
You are talking too much sense for most F1 fans to get it - but you're right!
@@J.M_270 I think Bearman looked good, but look at Mick Schumacher or Jaime Alguersuari who debuted at 19, it doesn't pay to rush drivers, I think 2 seasons in F2, would do both Antonelli & Bearman good!
@@grdixon83If they dont Sign Antonelli soon he can join another team. You forget Piastri saga already?
@@RoyMatzem Oscar won the F2 title though, so couldn't defend it, neither Bearman or Antonelli are near the top of this years F2 Championship, in fact there 9th & 19th, NOT exactly F1 material, that could change though, its a long season!
@@grdixon83 Antonelli already have more championships trophies than Piastri, and he won those trophies with 17!!! Just like Verstappen they dont care where he finishes. Hes already is F1 material since last year.
Bearman dont have this same results tho, what i saying aply only to Antonelli.
Just glad we have another manufacturer in F1!
Would love Toyota and BMW to come back too!
Andretti
Well what about Cadillac? Yea it'd be great to get Toyota and BMW back but you have a well-funded and willing team that is getting the cold shoulder.
You heard it here first: Newey + Andretti. His gardening leave aligns with their next window to get on the grid.
Except then the other teams REALLY will want to keep Andretti Cadillac out lol
Having a new engine supplier is nice
But having a manufacturer just for the sake of having a manufacturer when this doesn't actually add cars to the grid doesn't excite me much tbh
@@clinttube Cadillac's noncommittal stance amounts to "Sure we'll get involved in F1... after Andretti joins and only if Andretti does well after joining." If Andretti hits the grid and does worse than Haas -- which is likely, then Cadillac would definitely just go "Yeah, we've decided against joining F1."
@@michaelc821 They do not make power plants.
This is truly F1 silly season of musical chair
The Bearman hype train is unreal. We get it, he scored points on his F1 debut, that's brilliant and everything. But he is nineteenth in the F2 standings. NINETEENTH. He has scored 2 points in the 4 races he took part in, and is the last driver in the standings to score points. I really hope this is just a rough patch for him, similar to last year, when he had a very slow start and picked things up mid-season. I'm rooting for him, but he needs to improve on last year's F2 standing of 6th at the very least to make the F1 dream a reality.
He's a overhyped British driver with a wealthy father
He should have finished in 5th and 4th with that Ferrari he drove
@@KuchingKingVideoGamer clueless
After last Chinese GP, it's very difficult to see Zhou without a seat. FOM knows they need a Chinese and an American driver on the grid, so much so that I see them aprooving Andretti's entry just to have more presence in America.
There are reports It’s an all German lineup they are aiming for second seat Mick Schumacher . Vettel as team principal , Nico Rosberg as advisor and Ralf Schumacher as PR manager with Frentzen as a crash dummy…. We’ll gotta go that weed isn’t gonna smoke itself
Angela Merkel will be rear left in the pit team
Save a puff for me, mate.
Imagine how chaotic all this would be if it were true
"Frentzen as a crash dummy" lmao I love it
And still no german GP XD
Hey The Race Team! Thank you for your exceptionally good work. I can’t remember when I had the chance to get involved/informed on such a deepening level in Formula One‘s entanglements. So grateful for your work!
Hulk to Audi makes me happy, but I think I speak for many of us when I say it'll make MANY of us happy to see Hulk get his well-deserved podium; it's long over-due AND I think it'd be rotten, REALLY rotten of all in F1 team management if they refused to help Hulk get a seat in a car capable of getting podiums before he left the sport for good.
He's already been in a car that was capable of podiums, hence why perez got 4 when there were teammates. The fact is Hulkenberg has fucked up every time he could have got one and in no way should people be going out of their way to help him get one
As an Audi fan, if they can't get Sainz, I'd like to see them keep Bottas. I like the Hulk signing too, he's shown he's a safe pair of hands.
How can you be an Audi fan if the team is not even on the grid yet?
I would also like that. He used to be underrated, think the only reason he isn't now is because the kind of fans who constantly criticized him aren't interested enough to care about anything other than the top.
I think what counts against him is he could be seen as similar caliber as Nico, Gasly, Ocon and Albon. While him and Nico are both close to the end of their careers so the appeal to have at least one driver with longer term potential must be strong.
Nico Hulkenberg going to be racing for New Audis team, not a bad signing.
I know rushing is not ideal but in this market Sainz seems to be taking some risk of losing an important seat. Dude shouldn't be waiting this long imo
Pourchaire also nearly scored a Top 10 finish in his first race in IndyCar subbing in for David Malukas at Arrow McLaren.
Theo should stay at indycar then 😂
@@KuchingKingVideoGamer As it turns out, McLaren let Malukas go. So it’s going to be F2 alumni in that seat. And Alex Rossi (who is definitely better than Sarge on Sarge’s best day) and Pato O’Ward.
Very happy for Nico, he deserves another go around the circus after performing so well in this generation. No real blunders, just collecting points when he can.
Like others say, Hulk will be longer in F1 and keeps a chance on getting a podium. Also it means that Zhou or Bottas leaves Sauber. Don't need a video to see that in. Outside not a surprise Audi wanted at least 1 German driver.
Too many drivers, not enough teams.
If only there was someone experienced in motorsport looking to start a new team...
I think Riccardo is also at risk. Lawson gonna be there on 2025.
That’s up to Daniel as Horner said. If Daniel gets points and has a good rest of season, Liam will have to go elsewhere.
Liam is locked in for the second RB seat. Either Danny Ric or Yuki will have to go. And it's probably Danny Ric since the only reason they brought him back is if Checo drives poorly.
@@bemusedpanda8875 No he isn’t. Horner has said there is no guarantee that Liam will drive for Red Bull next year at all. In other words, it was promised not written into a contract.
@@Deanooooo Even if there is no written contract, it makes no sense for RB to keep a past his prime Ricciardo instead of developing a young driver such as Lawson.
@@bemusedpanda8875 Money, Danny Ric brings a shit ton of sponsors
We need 3 drivers per team - a 30 car grid
20 qualify for the race 10 don’t. Crazy qualifying sessions.
Honestly if they dont want to add more teams adding a car per team would be great. Top 24 or 26 starts the race, the rest will have to try again next time.
@@davidhaworth7152 They will NEVER do that
What i believe you failed to calculate for "the Hangers on" is, if you give Bottas an competitive car he could be an easy winner again.
I can see a situation where Sainz decides he doesn't want to be a short term driver at Mercedes and Antonelli isn't ready yet then Bottas gets that seat.
Not sure who else are contenders in that situation. Albon would have to be bought out of his contract, Ocon and Gasly? But do you really want Ocon and George in that team?
Hulkenberg is so underrated such a great guy💯
That kinda means, Sainz is going to Mercedes do a 1 to 2 year stint, and then Audi.
I hope I see him on the podium with audi
I like this presenter voice. Soothing. While the other presenter is the opposite. I wish this presenter did all the talking in the race videos
100% agree. Edd Straw is perfect for this role. The other ones just sound whiny and aggrieved.
this is such a good move for hulkenburg, no downside to taking it. none of the top tier teams were ever going to take him, he's only in a haas now, so it literally can't get 'worse'. he only gets upside from any performance improvement that audi is able to bring to that team and being a 'founding driver' for this team in it's new form
Some jam on the window for stroll would help f1 as a whole
Hulk deserves this, happy for him.🎉
Sport and competition isn't a charity. Who cares if u like nico or nico is a nice man who deserves good things.
He actually doesn't deserve an audi seat at all. Williams haas etc sure where he belongs.
Not audi a team with unlimited resources due to the vw group. Who event with a budget cap can use aero testing data and knowledge from producing civilian supercars for their f1 program. Like Adrian did on valkyrie don't believe me google it
Your mind is too innocent to want to pity give nico a spot in f1 he doesn't deserve
Alonso is old, and had bad luck in his career but he earned that spot in Aston. He drove like a machine in alpine before he moved. That's how u earn seats
@@Car_Fanatic Alonso gets everything out of the Aston. Hulkenberg gets everything out of the Haas.
I live in the city where Hulkenberg was born. After hearing the news of him leaving Kick , I was sad but after Audi contract news. oooo boy, I am hyped even more now! Alles Gute!
im curious. Is there anyway for Mercedes to take back Bottas? If Merc doesnt have Kimi ready or Sainz isnt interested, would it be wise to go to Bottas at Merc again? I mean he knows the team and facilities and is a proven winner and was constantly on podiums so..? Itd also be interesting to see him back at williams next to Albon tho.
No mention of Liam Lawson? I would have thought him replacing Ricciardo would have been covered as a potential. Either way Liam deserves a race seat arguably as much as Bearman
It's been established for months that Lawson has been given a guaranteed contract for 2025. Why would they bring up ancient news?
Good move by Audi. What Audi needs is an experienced driver capable of developing a car while being able to capitalize on points, and that's something which Hulkenberg is able of providing (even if we consider his deep allergy to podiums).
If Antonelli is still not mature enough to get into F1 next year, I am wondering if - assuming he loses his current seat - Mercedes will offer Bottas a year's contract? They know him, he won't rock the boat, and for VB it will keep him in F1 and relevant.
Probably the most underrated driver on the grid
All the best to everyone
0 podiums after 3000 races, so underrated
@@dmign you have just proven his argument. You cant expect a podium from a driver whos never been in a top 3 car. To do so, you need the luck of 4 of the top 6 drivers having an issue or an extremely bad race. Like, have you even any wheel knowledge?
I honestly think Mercedes should sign Bottas on a year deal and see how their rookie prospect goes at Williams
He has said he won't accept a year deal, but if he gets dropped from sauber he might rethink that.
I can see him ending up at Merc too.
@@the_lost_navigator7266 Ah sweet thanks for the info
Veteran Hulkenberg Is Following Mr Alonso's Footsteps. Looks like Hulk will race for the next 10 more years ❤.
Unfortunately they both still have seats. Better, more competent and fresh drivers are ready to take the seats without men with diapers in them
@@Blyatarina Alonso is one of the best drivers on the grid, and Hulkenberg is still easily top 10 even after taking a few years off.
Sainz and Bottas, wouldve been a very good lineup. I guess Bottas’ only option now outside of Audi is Williams. Not looking good for him. Bearman is getting the free Haas seat.
Bottas is a great pick for Haas - they would be nice scandinavian lineup with Magnussen ...Haas has very bad experience with rookie drivers and very good one with veterans.
Is Hulkenberg an upgrade on Bottas? No. Is he possibly less effective than Bottas? Yes. So why risk it and not go for continuity in the seat to aid development progress. Plus Bottas has actually raced for a championship winning team so has more relevant experience and is younger. Soo... This makes no sense. A big winner in this deal is the Hulk.
Hulk and Sainz would be a pretty strong pairing of long term experience and mid level up and coming/ knocking on the top tier Carlos.
I think it is damn near ideal for Audi in terms of realistic signings.
But also pretty risky for Sainz. If this doesn't work out by like 28-29 he will be really lucky to ever get back to a top team if you ask me.
I hope they keep Valteri!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think Sauber should at least try for one of its juniors for next year; whether that's Pourchaire or Maloney is another matter but it would at least help speed up the glacial pace of younger drivers coming into F1.
It depends on what Theo does in IndyCar and wether he wants to stay there. That said, I could see Daniel taking an IndyCar seat with Theo going to F1 when he has the super license.
@@johannessamuelsson6578 Doesn't winning F2 give you an automatic Superlicense? Why would Pourchaire have to get one?
Is that even a connection anymore? Doesn't Audi already have 100% say?
@DeathBlocks Audi does yes, but Audi bought the Sauber junior academy and there's been no major changes to Sauber's staff. So it's still the same team
@@CharlesFreck Ok now that I read this it is actually quite obvious that it would be like that... don't know why I thought they wouldn't also take the junior academy.
I completely forgot about Hulk's past connection with V.A.G. and Seidl via that Porsche LMP1 program. They really did get the band back together (kinda).
I think all teams should have a 3rd car but the driver for this car can only be contracted to 1 year.
That way they will fighting to move into a main car for the following seasons.
Bringing new rookies up and keeping the competition high
Danny Ric to Sauber for 2025. You heard it here first.
Can we just talk about how early the silly season has picked up this year?
Not even a mention of Liam Lawson?
I like Nico Hulkenburg. If they sign Carlos as well I might jump on the Audi hype train
I really hope nico wins with audi it's been sad to see such a good driver without podium or wins
Fr, Alonso win and Hulkenberg podium are so anticipated
@@bigbadtonly hulk podium. Alonslow is a finished toxic whining fraud that deserves all the karma happening to him. Hope he gets send with huge G Force into the barriers
Happy for Hulk, but what happened to Theo Pourchaire? He used to be a top sauber prospect, won F2, and now he’s never even mentioned.
Unfortunately, he was a member of the wrong young drivers program... If he would have been with Ferrari, Red Bull or Renault, or even Williams, he would have a guaranteed seat in 2025 or even this year. He will be in Indycar instead, which is probably a better option than waiting in the wings.
Theo Pourchaire needs to find a way onto the grid, shame the Sauber roles became available at the wrong time for him
I expected more ambition from Audi, but they're probably going to throw all of their efforts into attracting a marquee driver to lead the team, now. At least they have a German driver in a German team, so marketing should be able to do something with that.
Really pleased for Hulk - his consistency deserves this reward👏
I'm absolutely delighted for Nico, we may well see him win a race one day ❤
Ollie Bearman & Kimi Antonelli having a chance to be on the grid next year is exciting.
Audi got in , what about Andretti?
Really? The difference is that Audi buyed-in, into an existing team (Sauber). Andretti creates a whole new team.
Your driver line-up @ 1:08 lists Albon as confirmed at Williams, but then you say he could be an option for Sauber/Audi?
Magnussen is 100% staying at Haas. He is cheap, very experienced, knows the Team, Hülkenberg is gone and Haas after the Mazepin and Schumacher experience is never going to hire a rookie again. Also, Bearman is having a bad season in F2, a lot of people is not watching F2.
I seriously think Oliver is extremely overrated.....! Guy got the 2nd best car...what did you expect? Ofcoyurse he gotta good points but he failed in F2.
I would seriously suggest drugovich for 2nd Haas Seat.
Steiner is gone. He was the one opposed to rookies
@@BoomerZoomer-lj7xq Not only Steiner. And 1 rookie is different then having 2 rookies. If rookies every race destroy a car, you get not enough money remain for proper development. That is the con on those cost-cap.
@@KGI_KlikoNL Mick Schumacher and Mazepin don't hold a candle to the F2 drivers knocking the door right now. I'm sure you've seen Bearman and Lawson already
A look into the crystal ball shows Zho out, botas retained at Sauber, perez retained at RB, carlos to merc with big money, and bearman at haas
Bottas back to Mercedes.
Zhou can buy Haas seat. I dont think he will be out.
Good recap of the market as it stands now. Thanks, one small plea though.
Unless you want to make Sainz look cocky and unapproachable, then consider not ever using the hug clip at 1:32 again. I doubt he is as uninterested in other people as that clip gives vibes off. His mind was probably just somewhere else. But that one stood out as a less than ideal pick to put it nicely. I'm actually surprised Ferrari ever made it public. Anyways, good video.
1:04 This TBC guy must be really good because he appears in a lot of teams. Everyone wants him.
i still think, that the grid needs more cars so more new and upcoming Drivers out of F2 and other Classes can join there is more fun in watching rookies trying there best then all the old dogs to constantly stagnate( at worst)
Lawson, Bearmann and Antonelli rookie year might be on par with Lando, Russell, Albon if it ever happens
@2:27 Lance Stroll (rolling) 😂😂😂
Actually the person who will trigger any further move is not a driver, it's Newey. Everyone is waiting for his move.
It's unfortunate that Theo isn't even in the talks.
why couldnt sainz go to aston? did i miss stroll contract news?
Well maybe you missed;
Sometime ago Lawrence Stroll buyed Aston team. And signed Lance for an Infinity years contract.
With this release clause; "Lance only will leave when i want to leave"
FANTASTIC 😂❤😂❤ WOHOOO COMON NICO, BOUT TIME A GOOD CHANCE 👍
Dude just imagine if Sainz and Newey both go to Audi. That + German engine + deep pockets sounds like a recipe for a new champion in 2026
Williams - Sargeant out, Antonelli in
Haas - Bearman in
RB/AT - Ricciardo out, Lawson in
Audi - Hulkenberg in, Sainz in
Mercedes - Bottas (back) in (as short term replacement until Antonelli is ready)
Its funny how international media is always like "signing out of sequence" or "surprising move" or "Audi made first step"
In german sports media it was clear from the word go, that Audi wanted Hülkenberg. It was also clear that Audi gave him a deadline until the Maimi GP... so nothing new here ;)
Imagine if there was a team that could join the grid and add more seats for some of the next gen drivers…
The feel good story of the season
Nicno Podiumburg can finally get a podium. W move imo
6:42 Bottas has barely beaten Zhou, and I really don't see why anyone would choose him. Zhou if anything has the edge purely because he's younger, also, he has an insane commercial value. I see Zhou staying before Bottas.
Most likely Bottas + Hulk for 2025
can anyone explain me why merc not choose mike for drive?
I think mick should make a case for several of the f1 seats especially if sauber departs.
So happy Nico is getting the recognition he deserves!
Really solidifying his streak with no podiums going there.
Watch him get podium in 2026 with the new regs and Audi
@@NEO-PLAYER-ONE - I hope he does man. There isn’t anyone more deserving of a podium.
@@SimRacingVeteran absolutly, would be funny if audi have the same luck with the new regs as mercedes had in 2014. Hülkenberg WDC
@@NEO-PLAYER-ONE - not the same. Mercedes took over the Brawn GP operation in 2010. Mercedes had time to get better. Though they did hit the ground running with the new regs in 2014. Now it’s red bull’s turn with this current generation of cars. I don’t see Audi making a swift turn around. It’s still Sauber and all their personnel and facilities even though Audi now owns it. We’ll see what the Audi technical team comes up with in terms of their power units for 26.
I think the best would be the following:
Audi - Carlos and Nico
Haas - Keving and Olie
Mercedes - George and Kimi A
Williams - Alex and Valteri
RedBull - Max and Sergio
Visa RB - Yuki and Liam
Great signing. Great on the track and good looking man so great for advertising. Next signing should be Ricciardo
no mention of lawson, who did a wonderful job taking over ricciardo's seat last year.
Sargent got very lucky the driver market was so stagnant last year but he’s cooked this year. Every driver on the grid not yet signed could take that seat off of him and Antonelli or a dejected Lawson could push him out from underneath. And it seems more and more likely that Albon will be in the other seat next year so he can’t even bank on that
I think bottas will be a good addition
Good move. Nico is a good driver and team player. He’s more than earned a race seat in F1.
I can hear Mick Schumacher crying in German
wouldn't count him out yet. Kid is dominating the other alpine drivers in WEC. If Ocon leaves, that seat is probably his
@@sp23hagbard5 drivers in the WEC are mid af
I have always been a Hulk fan, I have had one of his shirts for many years hoping to wear it when he wins a race. Sargent must go along with Stroll and RIC. When has SAR had flashes of pace?