Nico Hulkenberg set for Audi switch as Haas confirm F1 driver's departure

Nico Hulkenberg is set to join Audi in Formula 1 after his current team, Haas, announced that he will be leaving the American-owned squad at the end of this season.

The German driver had been identified as a key target for Audi, which is preparing with its current Sauber partner for its official F1 entry as a works team from 2026.

Reports earlier this week claimed Audi were keen to finalise its driver plans early, setting a May deadline for the drivers it was in discussions with. Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz were on its shortlist as priority targets, with the plan being for them to join the Sauber squad next year before its rebranding as Audi for the subsequent campaign. While it's understood that Sainz is still considering other options having been linked with potential seats at Red Bull and Mercedes Hulkenberg is believed to have committed to an Audi future.

Although there has been no official confirmation from Audi about the plans, Hulkenberg's current Haas squad announced on Friday morning that the German would be departing at the end of this campaign.

An announcement regarding his move to Audi is expected shortly. 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 opens a logical vacancy at Haas next year for Ferrari reserve Oliver Bearman, who impressed greatly during a stand-in appearance for Sainz at this year's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and has been widely tipped to make the move up to F1 in 2025.

It is unclear who Hulkenberg's team-mate at Sauber will be in 2025, with it looking increasingly unlikely that either of its current drivers Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou will remain.

Sainz is understood to remain a key target, but the Spaniard is understood to still want to bide his time while the picture at other teams becomes clearer over forthcoming weeks.

Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond.

You can also follow our dedicated Rangers and Celtic podcast pages and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.

We've also entered the world of WhatsApp with our Rangers community and Celtic community up and running. Follow NOW to get your club's latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to your phone.