{"id":665409,"date":"2026-05-12T23:04:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T23:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/665409\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T23:04:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T23:04:14","slug":"nico-hulkenberg-talks-2026-rules-and-audis-f1-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/665409\/","title":{"rendered":"Nico Hulkenberg Talks 2026 Rules and Audi’s F1 Fight"},"content":{"rendered":"

The biggest car news and reviews, no BS<\/p>\n

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Nothing else has been discussed more this\u00a0Formula 1<\/a>\u00a0season than the new-for-2026 regulations. So much so that the uproar from drivers and fans alike led the FIA to roll out a series of tweaks<\/a> to improve the situation. Then, nothing else has been discussed more than those changes. And to cap it all off, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem then dropped the V8 bombshell during the Miami Grand Prix, which we got all the juicy deets<\/a>. Isn\u2019t there something else to talk about?<\/p>\n

Yes, there is. For starters, there are two new teams on the grid\u2014one of them is a storied German automaker that\u2019s conquered some of the most grueling racing disciplines, and the other is a brand-new American team<\/a> that fought tooth and nail to earn its place on the grid. On top of all that, there is a near-perfect mix of veteran and rookie drivers fighting for points every race. And regardless if you agree with the how, the fact is that on-track action (passing, battles, oddball pit strategies) is way, way up.<\/p>\n

\"MIAMI,<\/p>\n

\"2026
\nChris Graythen, John Phillips via Getty, Audi F1 Team<\/p>\n

Because of that, and more, veteran racer Nico Hulkenberg believes that today\u2019s complaints around the regulations are nothing new. During a sit-down with the Audi F1 driver ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, we discussed several topics making headlines, but specifically, I asked Hulkenberg what he would tell the fan who only complains about today\u2019s problems in F1. He had this to say:<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be honest, it\u2019s always been like that in F1, hasn\u2019t it? F1 is about leading in technology, and you have to go with the times,\u201d Hulkenberg told The Drive. \u201cIf you look at the automotive industry 5 years ago, 10 years ago, it\u2019s different now; it has changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think when you look at the racing now, the first three races we\u2019ve had [in 2026], it\u2019s been entertaining. It\u2019s been good to watch with plenty of on-track action. And I mean, if you don\u2019t like it, you don\u2019t have to watch,\u201d added Hulkenberg.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m glad he said it, becuase I\u2019d be lying if I said didn\u2019t feel that way myself. I\u2019ve been watching and attending F1 races for over three decades, and I wholeheartedly agree with most fans that there are major issues to correct, rules to tweak, and procedures to overhaul, but I can also appreciate the product that F1 sells today. Whether you watch on TV or in person, it\u2019s the most well-rounded spectacle we\u2019ve ever had. And looking toward the end of the decade, when FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem says V8s will return, things only look better.<\/p>\n

\"MIAMI<\/p>\n

\"MIAMI
\nIcon Sportswire via Getty<\/p>\n

\u201cF1 is evolving all the time,\u201d said Hulkenberg. \u201cObviously, you have these purists that love the old school and the sound of a naturally aspirated V10 and V12\u2014including myself!\u2014but the reality is that it doesn\u2019t work like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few years ago, sustainability was a huge topic, now less so,\u201d he added. \u201cBut, you know, I kind of feel like F1 and its rulemakers were pushed a little bit in that direction to stay with current times. If you want to stay up to date and be a legit business and entertainment model, you have to go down that road.\u201d<\/p>\n

I love Hulkenberg\u2019s honesty, but most of all, I appreciate that it comes from a place of love for the sport, and of course, his career. He nor anyone else wants to alienate fans by saying, \u201cIf you don\u2019t like it, don\u2019t watch.\u201d It\u2019s more about focusing on what\u2019s good while also chasing improvements on what\u2019s not.<\/p>\n

After 272 race starts, and frankly, his fair share of bad luck and underperforming teams over the years, the 38-year-old German is finally in a position to start fresh with Audi, a team that, without a doubt, has all the resources necessary to eventually dominate the sport.<\/p>\n

\"2026<\/p>\n

\"2026<\/p>\n

\"2026
\nAndrin Fretz, Andy Hone via Audi F1 Team<\/p>\n

To wrap up, I asked Hulkenberg if he was enjoying himself, the team, and the car at this moment. His answer highlighted his positive mindset, which has certainly played a major role in staying in F1 for 26 years now.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I am enjoying myself. I think it\u2019s about relearning, and you have to adapt and adjust yourself to things,\u201d he answered. \u201cNow it\u2019s still in these early stages when things are still quite new. There\u2019s a very steep learning curve for us and everyone else, but I enjoy that aspect; working with the engineers and the team to find the little edge in them. Obviously, I missed the first race due to problems, but we\u2019ve been 11th twice since.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have not yet fully optimized everything, especially on the power unit side, but we obviously started from zero, so it\u2019s already quite impressive for me what Audi has done and how competitive we are.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very optimistic and hopeful, and, for me, it\u2019s great to be part of this story with this great German brand,\u201d added Hulkenberg. \u201cIt\u2019s all to play for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Email the author at jerry@thedrive.com<\/p>\n

As deputy editor, Jerry draws on a decade of industry experience and a lifelong passion for motorsports to guide The Drive\u2019s short- and long-term coverage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The biggest car news and reviews, no BS Our free daily newsletter sends the stories that really matter…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":665410,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":[49,48,578,576,577,82],"class_list":["post-665409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=665409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665409\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/665410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=665409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=665409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=665409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}