Nico Hulkenberg’s 2026 Audi contract contains clause that nearly bankrupted rival F1 team

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Audi driver Nico Hulkenberg is preparing to lead a new manufacturer into their first season in Formula 1.

Alongside Cadillac, Audi are one of two new names in the Formula 1 paddock, taking over from the Sauber team.

Audi have split work on the R26 between Sauber’s old base in Hinwil, Switzerland and their factory in Neuburg, Germany, and while much has changed within Jonathan Wheatley’s team over the winter break, the drivers have stayed the same.

What are your expectations for Audi’s debut F1 season in 2026?

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Rookie Gabriel Bortoleto impressed in 2025, matching the more experienced Nico Hulkenberg in qualifying but showing a few rough edges during races.

Hulkenberg finally achieved his first F1 podium at Silverstone, and narrowly missed out on finishing in the top 10 of the drivers’ championship with a team that only scored four points throughout the entirety of 2024.

Now, a contract clause in Hulkenberg’s Audi deal has reportedly emerged that could have made that podium finish even sweeter last season.

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

Nico Hulkenberg is reportedly on a bonus-per-point contract with Audi for 2026

A report from Austrian site OE24 has shared more details about a potential bonus package within the 38-year-old’s £4.3m-a-year contract.

It’s believed that Hulkenberg receives an extra €50,000 for each point he scores, equating to just over £43,000.

Hulkenberg’s podium alone last year would have earned him just over £650,000 if that is the case, while the 10 points he scored at the Spanish Grand Prix would have been worth £434,000.

The veteran German driver ended up with 51 points in 2025, which equates to £2.21m.

Lando Norris’ reported bonus for winning the drivers’ championship in 2025 was £4.3m, according to BILD, proving what a great deal Hulkenberg has negotiated with the German manufacturer.

It’s yet to be seen how competitive Audi will be this year, with their power unit making its debut in 2026 during a brand new ruleset.

If they’ve somehow found a trick no one else has discovered and Audi beat their aim of winning a championship by 2030, Hulkenberg could become a very wealthy man.

READ MORE: All you need to know about the Audi F1 team from Sauber past to drivers

How Kimi Raikkonen nearly bankrupted Lotus with a Nico Hulkenberg-style contract clause

Hulkenberg isn’t the first driver to enjoy a lucrative incentive as part of his Formula 1 contract.

Ayrton Senna was famously on a £1m-per-race deal at McLaren at one point, and his negotiations with then-team principal Ron Dennis were famously tense.

However, Hulkenberg’s reported deal is most similar to the contract Kimi Raikkonen once signed with Lotus.

The 2007 F1 champion signed a two-year deal with Lotus in 2012, which included the same clause that Hulkenberg has in his contract.

During his two years with the team, Raikkonen scored 390 points, including 15 podiums, and racked up a bonus payment worth €19m [£17.5m].

As the end of the 2013 season approached, Lotus still hadn’t paid out, and Raikkonen walked out before the final two races of the year, being replaced by fellow Finn Heikki Kovalainen.

At one point, Lotus had debts of up to £114m, as per the BBC, but insisted this wasn’t down to the clause in Raikkonen’s contract.

The one-time F1 championship rejoined Ferrari the following year before going on to have one of the longest careers in the sport’s history, only retiring in 2021.