Hulkenberg left shocked by Audi announcement: 'An unexpected change'

Seidl and Hoffmann had a lot of influence on Hulkenberg's signing with Audi. The German will switch to the Stake F1 Team next season before that team changes to Audi in 2026. In a press briefing at Spa with GPblog and others, Hulkenberg talked about what he thinks of these departures.

Hulkenberg retains confidence in Audi project

"Of course, they were influential. These were the two guys we did the deal with. So that's an unexpected change. I was informed the day of the announcement about the group's decision by Gernot Döllner himself. That's the group's decision that they want to change moving forward," Hulkenberg said.

Still, the German thinks it should be fine without Seidl and Hoffmann. "With big projects like this, you have in the management people that are big pillars. But they never just rely on one or two people. So, in F1, everyone is changeable."

Hulkenberg has no experience of working with Binotto, the former Ferrari team boss. "I know him from the past in the paddock, but I've never worked with him. But that will change in a few months."

The Haas driver is not worried about Audi's instability at the moment and is looking forward to the future. "That was obviously a bit of a shock, but now it's back to business. I still look forward to joining that project and make it a successful story with Audi," Hulkenberg said.

In an exclusive conversation with GPblog, Hulkenberg previously said how important Andreas Seidl had been in his choice for Audi. Under the leadership of the German, Hulkenberg won the 24 Hours of Le Mans earlier in his career. “It was one part of the puzzle having someone that you know, that you trust, that you've worked with is obviously always helpful and positive. He was probably the glue or the combining, fixing link in the story."