Nico Hulkenberg shares what he’s been told about Haas’s F1 future that’s really ‘exciting’

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Haas will have an all-new driver lineup for the 2025 season with Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon, as they look to start fresh ahead of the 2026 rule changes.

The American team changed its fortunes for 2024 after a late car concept switched towards the end of 2023, after realising its car destroyed its tyres during a race distance.

This means Nico Hulkenberg’s qualifying form, which engineer Gary Gannon praised the German for having a ‘natural ability’, has been rewarded with six points finishes.

Hulkenberg believes their future looks even brighter when speaking to Autosport, despite rumours that Haas owner Gene Haas was looking to sell the team off due to making little to no progress since joining the grid in 2016.

READ MORE: Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg’s life outside F1 from wife to height

Nico Hulkenberg explains why Haas is heading in the right direction

The American team has undergone a significant recruitment drive that should help it become a competitor further up the field in the next few years, having increased its 300-person headcount by 10 per cent and greenlit investments into further developments at their UK base.

“The team is set up very well now. It’s a working organisation and we’ve proved that, to some extent, this year where with the changes that happened over winter,” said Hulkenberg.

“I hear that there is some more exciting stuff in the pipeline for the team, which will only help them. Haas is going to be a serious competitor in the years to come, especially definitely next year still because the regulations are stable.

“2026 is an unknown for everyone, but the exciting thing is 2026 is a white piece of paper and that makes it so interesting for everyone who could do a better job than other teams and stand out.”

Doubts raised about Oliver Bearman ahead of 2025 Haas debut

Bearman is one of the most anticipated drivers set to join the grid for 2025, although there is some doubts as to whether he will perform straight away.

Fans were left stunned by Bearman’s performance during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, having become the first F1 driver in history to score points for two different teams on debut.

READ MORE: Who is 2025 Haas driver and Ferrari gem Oliver Bearman? Everything to know

But despite this, there are still doubts from ‘voices in the paddock’ over whether Bearman would have made it to the grid in 2025 without the chances he received with Haas or Ferrari this season.

His results in F2 have not been spectacular, although these have largely coincided with Prema’s troublesome season getting to grips with the new chassis.