Hulkenberg moves to Audi: These seats are still available in 2025

With the news that Nico Hulkenberg will move to Audi for 2026 and drive for Sauber (Stake F1) in 2025, another piece of the puzzle in the Silly Season for 2025 has been put in place. However, there are still some important questions to be answered in the coming weeks. GPblog lists them for you.

Will Verstappen stay at Red Bull Racing?

With a contract until 2028, Max Verstappen's future seemed set. However, internal struggles within the team have put a question mark behind his name. Verstappen has demanded that the successful team stay together, but it is still unclear whether Christian Horner wants to keep everyone at the team, especially Helmut Marko.

Until both parties have stated that they will continue with each other, the issue remains. Still, there are not many other options for Verstappen. Aston Martin has completed their line-up for the next few years. Ferrari and McLaren are also full. Mercedes remain an interesting option for 2026, with the new engine regulations, but in 2025 will have to make a backwards step in 2025. So it makes more sense for Verstappen, if he wants to leave, to wait a year. That is when George Russell's contract expires, and so there is a new opportunity.

The new contract for Alonso also means Sergio Perez has one less competitor. He hopes for a new contract, but Red Bull Racing will be in no hurry to extend it. Perez is performing well now and needs to show that over a longer period.

Carlos Sainz is the biggest name being linked to this seat, but Helmut Marko does not feel compelled to make a decision soon. Therefore, with an ultimatum from Audi, Sainz seems wiser to sign there. Alexander Albon is also open to a return, but that does not seem a serious option until 2026. Yuki Tsunoda is also increasingly impressive but never seems to be taken seriously internally. So, for now, the most logical scenario seems to be a longer stay for Verstappen and Perez and then bringing Albon to the team in 2026.

Who will replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes?

Toto Wolff's shortlist included Verstappen, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Alonso. The latter name is now off this list which isn't really a surprise given the statements he made last week anyway. Mercedes can wait in this case. Verstappen is the dream candidate, but for that to happen, another bomb has to explode at Red Bull. Until that happens, there is little chance of Verstappen swapping his Red Bull for a Mercedes as early as 2025.

Mercedes can wait because the alternative first needs to prove himself in Formula 2. The omens are good and Wolff is very complimentary about the Italian, but a top-five or top-three finish seems a must to really convince that he is ready for a top team.

Should Verstappen prove unattainable and Antonelli not yet ready for the big time, Mercedes may also opt for an interim solution for one or two years. Esteban Ocon will then come into the picture as a former Mercedes junior and close acquaintance of Wolff. Valtteri Bottas and Nico Hulkenberg are also two more names you could mention, although both are not very likely for various reasons.

Who will be Audi's front-runner?

Audi will take over Sauber completely in 2026 and they are already busy building a team in the background. In 2025, the German brand also want their voices to be heard in the driver line-up. Ideally, the same drivers will be in the car in 2025 as in 2026 to ensure stability.

Hulkenberg has already confirmed he will leave Haas for Sauber. Haas is currently better than Stake, and with Audi's support, Hulkenberg has been lured in. The question is, who will sit alongside him?

For Sainz, it is a slightly more difficult move. The Spaniard is now in a race-winning car and will take a huge backwards step with Stake. Still, with Audi in 2026, it might be the best place for Sainz to be. A long contract, a big factory team and a front-runner role for him. This year, Sainz turns 30 years old so the time seems right to grab such an opportunity with both hands.

The doubt will be in the free seats at Red Bull Racing and Mercedes, but as mentioned earlier, Sainz is not a top contender there. Besides, he will not become the undisputed front-runner at either team, nor can he expect on a long-term contract. In 2025, those seats are attractive, but for the long term, Audi seems the best choice.

Which junior talents will break through?

After a year in which no young talent got the chance to debut in Formula 1 (for the full season), there are a number of stars set to break through for 2025. Antonelli has already been mentioned. Should he not yet be ready for Mercedes, chances are he will take Logan Sargeant's place at Williams. Zak O'Sullivan, Williams' junior in F2, is also not yet impressive enough to be preferred over the Italian, and the same goes for Franco Colapinto.

Liam Lawson will also get a chance, perhaps as early as 2024, at Visa Cash App RB. With Daniel Ricciardo's current performance, it is hard to imagine that he will be allowed to stay put for long. Oliver Bearman also impressed on his debut in F1 and is being prepared by Ferrari and Haas for a full-time seat in 2025.

What does Alpine's future look like?

Alpine is still an uncertain factor in Formula 1 at the moment. The team are firmly at the bottom and does not seem to be able to move up any time soon either. Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly both have race wins behind their names, but don't really seem to have many options other than a longer stay with the French team.

Alpine itself, with its current performance, has no choice either. In particular, the rumours out there about a possible sale of the team will not necessarily appeal to good drivers. There will be experienced drivers losing their seats with other teams, but will guys like Valtteri Bottas, Guanyu Zhou and Logan Sargeant be the solution? So the team and drivers seem somewhat forced to rely on each other.

What could the F1 grid look like for 2025?

Red Bull Racing: Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez

Ferrari: Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc

McLaren: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri

Mercedes: George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll

VCARB: Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson

Haas: Kevin Magnussen and Oliver Bearman

Williams: Alexander Albon and Guanyu Zhou

Sauber: Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg

Alpine: Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly