Jan.22 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg says he has no plans to retire anytime soon, despite Audi openly stating that full competitiveness may not arrive until the end of the decade.
Audi has repeatedly framed 2030 as the point at which it expects to fight seriously for championships, raising questions about whether the 38-year-old German will still be part of the project by then.
Hulkenberg, however, is leaving the door wide open.
“Will I even still be there in 2030? I’d say it’s not impossible, but I don’t think about it much yet,” he said. “I don’t necessarily have a grand vision for the future, but as long as everyone is happy and the stopwatch shows good times, I’m happy to keep going.”
The Audi driver insists his motivation remains intact. “Do I still have the great ambition to become world champion? Yes,” he said. “But my ambition is also to be a valuable addition to the project.
“I want to make this a success for the team, but also for my career.”
Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley underlined that patience will be required.
“Formula 1 is the most complex team sport in the world,” Wheatley said. “Our path to the top is based on a clear plan. We are here to challenge, to evolve, and ultimately to win.”
Early signs underline the scale of the task. During Audi’s first on-track outing in Barcelona on January 9, the team completed just 50 kilometres of the 200 permitted. Even so, technical director James Key described the shakedown as encouraging.
“We wanted to get on track as quickly as possible,” Key said. “Everything was very compressed over the winter. But we got the necessary baseline data, which frankly is simply brilliant.”
Audi boss Mattia Binotto has already set modest targets for the season opener.
“We want to finish the race in Melbourne. To be reliable. To have track time,” Binotto said. “We know we’ll have problems – technical, reliability, performance issues. That’s normal. What matters to me is how the team reacts.”
Former driver Ralf Schumacher believes Audi may hope for faster progress than its public timeline suggests.
“I think Audi would even like it to happen sooner,” he said of the 2030 target. “But of course, you have to set a goal.”