Hulkenberg on Sainz's choice: 'He was hesitating'

Carlos Sainz will switch from Ferrari to Williams next season. There was long-standing speculation that the Spaniard—looking ahead to 2026—would move to Stake F1, which will go through life as Audi from 2026 onwards. Nico Hulkenberg—who will switch to Audi—reacted to Sainz's choice at Zandvoort.

Sainz was told prior to the season that there will be no place for him at Ferrari in 2025. The Scuderia managed to pluck seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton away from Mercedes and will become Charles Leclerc's teammate. Sainz's good performance this season, culminating in a spectacular victory in Australia, has attracted a lot of interest from other teams. In the end, Williams signed Sainz and he will become Alexander Albon's teammate there.

"I was not surprised," Hulkenberg revealed. "He was hesitating and thinking about it for a long time. I think there are other strategic reasons where he wants to position himself in the future. I think that was a very big part of his decision. So, obviously, I haven't spent much time thinking about his decision. It is what it is now and the rest we'll see," concluded the German, who is currently still racing for Haas.

Hulkenberg and Sainz have been teammates in the past. After Sainz left Toro Rosso, he switched to Renault in the middle of the 2017 season. There, he drove alongside Hulkenberg. With Hulkenberg at Audi for several years and Sainz at Williams, a reunion as teammates is out of the question.

This article has been written in collaboration with Matt Gretton

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