Max Verstappen has expressed support for his F1 counterpart Nico Hulkenberg and his upcoming collaboration with Audi.
Reports suggest that Sauber, soon to become a fully integrated Audi works team by 2026 and already entirely owned by Audi, has agreed to a deal to pay Hulkenberg, aged 36, a sum of 5 million euros to begin racing for the Swiss outfit from 2025.
While a much more lucrative deal has been proposed for Carlos Sainz, the soon-to-be former Ferrari driver, triple world champion Verstappen believes Hulkenberg made the right decision in accepting Audi's offer.
"I completely understand why Audi chose him and also why Nico chose Audi," he was quoted by Sport1.
"Of course I think it's better to change teams less often, but sometimes it's out of your control. So I understand that he is going there and I am very happy for him," Verstappen further noted.
Hulkenberg acknowledged that Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu made significant efforts to retain him beyond 2025.
"Haas was the team that allowed me to return," he commented. "But at the end of the day, for me personally, Audi simply provides the better opportunity in terms of sport."
Despite holding an unfortunate record in F1 for the most races—over 200—without ever achieving a podium finish, Hulkenberg will bring invaluable experience to Audi, Verstappen argues.
"It's always good for Sauber to have a driver like Nico in the car instead of using a rookie," he mentioned. "Then Audi are new to the sport in 2026, Nico has been in Formula 1 for a long time and he really knows what he's talking about."
"I'm very happy for him that he will be driving in Formula 1 for at least two more years," Verstappen added. "He absolutely deserves it."
"Nico is a very good driver. At certain times in his career he may have had a bit of bad luck where he should have been on the podium and it just didn't work out."
