4 drivers who can replace Nico Hulkenberg at Haas next season

Nico Hulkenberg recently announced his exit from Haas after the 2024 F1 season. He is set to join Sauber in 2025, as the Swiss team gradually merges with German automotive giants Audi in 2026.

Since Haas has not yet announced who they would sign as Hulkenberg's replacement, several speculations and debates have taken place regarding available drivers who could join the Kannapolis-based team.

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4 drivers who can be Nico Hulkenberg's replacement at Haas in 2025

#1 Oliver Bearman

Bearman at F1 Grand Prix of China

Oliver Bearman is currently the top candidate who could replace Hulkenberg at Haas for the 2025 F1 season. He is a Ferrari Driver Academy junior who made his F2 debut with Prema Racing in 2024. People considered him a competent candidate because of his performance in his debut F1 race in 2024.

During the 2024 F1 Saudi Arabian GP, Ferrari announced that Carlos Sainz had appendicitis and was replaced by reserve driver Oliver Bearman. He was impressive throughout the weekend race, where he qualified in P11 and finished the Grand Prix in P7, scoring six points in his first F1 race.

Hence, the moment Nico Hulkenberg's departure from Haas was announced, Bearman was the first driver to come up as a potential replacement.

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#2 Theo Pourchaire

Pourchaire at Formula 2 Championship - Round 14 Yas Island - Feature Race

Theo Pourchaire has been seeking to join F1 for a few years now. After the Frenchman won the F2 championship in 2023, the natural next step for him was to bag a seat in the top formula series.

Despite being a reserve driver and a junior in the Sauber Academy, he was unable to join the grid since most of the seats were occupied. Eventually, he debuted in the Super Formula series with Team Impul in 2024.

With the departure of Nico Hulkenberg from Haas, there is an opening that Pourchaire could take advantage of and make his F1 debut.

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#3 Valtteri Bottas

Bottas at F1 Grand Prix of China

Though Sauber announced that Nico Hulkenberg would be joining them in 2025, they have yet to announce which of the two drivers they would replace. According to several reports, Sauber and Audi could plan to remove both Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu to bring in Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz.

Hence, Haas could look towards Bottas as a potential Hulkenberg replacement. Compared to younger candidates, the Finn would be an experienced option, something that the former team principal, Guenther Steiner, wanted in the team.

Valtteri Bottas gained a lot of experience in Mercedes alongside seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, even though he was never able to beat the Brit. Despite his laid-back attitude at Sauber, he could be a competent replacement.

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#4 Sergio Perez

Perez at F1 Grand Prix of China

In the realm of possibilities, Sergio Perez could also be a strong candidate for Haas as they try to bring in Nico Hulkenberg's replacement.

Sergio Perez is currently cruising at the top of the grid with reigning world champions Red Bull. Even though he was unable to fight for the championship against his dominant teammate Max Verstappen, he drove one of the best F1 cars developed by Red Bull and tried to stay as close to the Dutchman as possible.

In 2023, however, there were several questions about Perez's future, especially after a few poor performances. Though Red Bull backed Checo, the Austrian team had a famous reputation of quickly removing underperforming drivers.

Coming into 2024, Perez's last year with Red Bull based on his current contract, his performance has been impressive. However, if his performance drastically drops, and Red Bull does not renew his contract by 2024, he could become Nico Hulkenberg's replacement if he decides to continue his career in F1.