Formula 1: 5 drivers who could join Nico Hulkenberg at Audi
When the 2025 Formula 1 season rolls around next March, there will be new faces at almost every team on the grid. Only a handful of drivers are either under contract with their current team or a new team for next season, leaving many to speculate and come up with their own ideal driver partnerships for the 2025 season.
While it is understandable the Lewis Hamilton's blockbuster move to Ferrari has taken up most of the headlines, another driver has also been confirmed to be making a switch to a new team next year, that driver being Nico Hulkenberg joining Sauber from Haas. It should be noted that Sauber will become Audi in 2026 following a takeover by the German manufacturer.
Hulkenberg as the first confirmed driver for what will soon become Audi makes sense for a number of reasons. He is a reliable, veteran driver who has driven for a number of different teams, even Sauber during the 2013 season. The German team have also landed a German driver.
Who will partner Hulkenberg has become the topic of much debate due to the abundance of quality options. Let's take a look at five possibilities, in order from least likely to most likely.
5. Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Of all the driver options on this list, Kimi Antonelli is undoubtedly the least likely option for Sauber, but that doesn't mean he is a bad one in the slightest. Still only 17 years old, Antonelli has been one of the most talked about young drivers of the past few years. He joined the Mercedes Junior Team in 2019 and he has been rising up the ranks ever since.
Antonelli currently competes in Formula 2 for Prema Racing, and Mercedes have been stepping up his preparations for a potential move up to Formula 1, with the young Italian impressing many during recent test days in Imola.
Antonelli would be a great option for Sauber, but it is unlikely due to the fact that he is still a Mercedes junior driver. A move to a major rival in Audi would likely require him to break free from his Mercedes contract altogether.