Audi would be ‘celebrated’ if they gave one-year deal to ‘incredible’ ex-F1 driver for 2025

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Audi won’t officially enter Formula 1 until 2026, but they appear to be overseeing Sauber’s driver search this year. The team have still yet to name their teammate for Nico Hulkenberg.

Hulkenberg arrived in April, with Audi hoping to swiftly complete their line-up by signing Carlos Sainz. Ultimately, they weren’t able to convince the Spaniard to join.

Sauber are currently bottom of the constructors’ championship as the only team who have yet to score a single point. While Williams aren’t faring much better, they’re concentrating on 2025, while the Swiss outfit appear to be running down the clock until 2026.

The short-term pain of a move to Sauber would therefore have been greater for Sainz. And much as Audi want to challenge for championships by 2031, joining a brand new team is inherently risky.

They couldn’t overcome the Spaniard’s reservations, and with drivers like Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda all committed elsewhere, they’re left with few desirable options in the market. It’s possible, of course, that they could keep one of their incumbents.

Valtteri Bottas has had the edge over Zhou Guanyu this season, beating in him 10 out of 14 qualifying sessions and eight of the 13 races both have finished. Liberty want to keep Zhou on the grid, but it’s unclear if they can sway Audi.

Mick Schumacher now being mentioned more often in Audi discussions

Mattia Binotto, newly installed as the leader of the project, may also decide that a complete refresh is needed. And one driver who could offer that is Mick Schumacher.

Schumacher’s name is being mentioned increasingly ‘often’ in the conversations around the second Audi seat, according to AMuS. The team know they would be ‘celebrated’ for giving him a second chance, and the prospect of an all-German lineup may appeal.

Binotto let Schumacher go from the Ferrari driver academy at the end of 2022 after he lost his Haas seat. To mitigate the risk of signing him, he could hand him a one-year deal at first.

If the 25-year-old doesn’t deliver, then they could look elsewhere for 2026. It’s already been reported that Audi are monitoring George Russell, who’s approaching the end of his Mercedes contract.

How ‘incredible’ Schumacher rates his chances of F1 return

After leaving Haas, Schumacher signed with Mercedes as a reserve driver. He’s also been representing Alpine in the World Endurance Championship this year, which he hoped would open up a route back to F1.

Schumacher went up against Jack Doohan in an Alpine test, and while Doohan was supposedly faster over on lap, the former had the edge on the long runs. Unfortunately, the departure of team principal Bruno Famin could damage his chances.

Famin was a big advocate of Schumacher, hailing his ‘incredible’ displays at WEC level this season (Autosport). He’s now taking on a different role in the operation, with Oliver Oakes replacing him.

Still, Schumacher believes he has a ‘pretty good’ chance of returning to F1. He recognises now that Audi is his most realistic option, and if he can’t secure a spot for next year, he may have to give up on his dream for good.