Nico Hulkenberg has revealed fear of “false impression and false reference” is stopping Audi from letting its Formula 1 drivers commence 2026 simulator testing.
With the 2026 regulations reset right over the horizon, teams have started letting its drivers try out models of its 2026 challenger on the simulator.
That said, Sauber, which is set to transform into a works Audi outfit from next year onwards, is yet to afford such an opportunity to its driver pairing of Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto.
The German driver expounded on the rationale behind the Hinwil-based squad‘s decision to hold back on allowing its drivers to get a first impression on what the latest era of F1 could feel like.
“It’s still at the moment all evolving quite a lot and quickly,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“So they don’t want to give a false impression and false reference. That’s why I think we’re still holding back a little bit at the moment.”
There has been a growing negative consensus regarding the 2026 cars after initial rounds of simulator testing from the likes of Alex Albon, Charles Leclerc, and Lance Stroll.
But Hulkenberg is adamant that he is going to keep an open mind while evaluating the drivability of the new technical rule-set.
“To be honest, I don’t care what others have said,” asserted the 38-year-old.
“Eventually you drive the simulator, and you get what you get. You’ll have obviously certain views and feelings then about it.
“It’s certainly going to be different, that’s to be expected. But then, come next year when we hit the track in real life, it’s all quite new.
“So it’s just about exploring, learning and adapting quickly then to these new regulations.”
Audi reveals logistical difficulty impeding 2026 simulator runs
Hulkenberg’s assertions about the need to have a firmer grip on the upcoming regulations before jumping into the simulator were confirmed by his Sporting Director Inaki Rueda.
The former Ferrari man went on to outline the logistical difficulties the team is facing, given F1’s 24-race calendar.
“Before a race you would like to have a race driver in the sim a whole day,” he explained to The Race.
“So, for example, Nico was in last Friday, and Gabi was in this Monday and they were running Zandvoort and Monza, so they already had to split one day for two circuits.
“If you start looking at the calendar, and you start looking for slots of when can the driver come in, it’s really difficult to slot [in].
“Then, on top of that, they say, ‘OK I want to start trying the C46 [2026] car, so when do I find a slot for this?’ And it starts becoming really challenging.”
In fact, Rueda is confident that early sessions on the simulator will not yield any positive results in terms of understanding of the new cars, owing to the lack of correlation between the models the teams have now and how quickly those models are evolving.
“I know when we are going to start exposing the drivers to the C46 car, but you don’t want to do it too early with the fear that the car that you’re going to show to them is still very different to what they will actually drive,” he divulged.
“The development curve is so big at the moment that you might be in something one week, but then a week later things are different, in a different window.”
READ MORE — Why Sauber retired Nico Hulkenberg prior to F1 Italian GP
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