Bottas 'a bit surprised' by Hulkenberg switch: 'already spoke to teams himself'

Nico Hulkenberg will drive for Stake F1 Team next year. The team will be called Audi from 2026, and the German appears to be delighted with his switch. It may, however, have implications for Valtteri Bottas, whose contract will be expiring. Will there still be a place for him on the Swiss team next year? In the press conference, he was asked about his reaction when he heard that Hulkenberg had signed a contract.

"Of course, the timing is quite early and a bit surprising, but the driver market is clearly starting to move," Bottas said. "It also kind of makes sense, he's German, and Audi has made it pretty clear that they want a German driver, so it's all good, let's see what happens next."

Where will the Finn drive in 2025, then? "I don't know, obviously speaking to multiple teams, some talks have advanced more than the others, so we'll see." In any case, Bottas hasn't explicitly said that he is confident he will be staying at Stake F1. His teammate Guanyu Zhou's contract is also expiring. Stake F1 also has F2 champion Theo Pourchaire waiting in the wings.

A happy Hulkenberg in Miami

On Thursday in Florida, Hulkenberg was beaming from ear to ear. It's understandable, as it was revealed this week that he has signed a multi-year contract with Audi. " I am obviously very happy and excited about it," he told Sky Sports. "Quite unusual for me that I know so early in the season where my future will be. That's obviously (makes it) quite comfortable."

"It takes that subject away so we can focus on the remainder of the season with Haas. I obviously want to finish it as successfuly as possible. There are no presents to my future team, so I'm still going to try and kick their butt." he laughed. Hulkenberg said he also had the option of extending at Haas F1, but he decided to move to the future Audi works team.