This is F1Minute - Nico Hülkenberg to leave Force India and join Sauber.

Sauber are facing plenty of changes, following the news that Sergio Pérez would be leaving them for McLaren and the speculation over Kamui Kobayashi’s future with the team. They know one thing for certain, though, and that is Nico Hülkenberg’s presence with the team for the 2013 season.

Today, it was announced that the German would be taking one of the seats at Sauber for next year, with team principal Monisha Kaltenborn saying: “We’ve been observing Nico for some time now and his performances have been very persuasive... He has clearly shown that he can seize the chance if it arises... I’m sure he will fit in very well with the Sauber team.”

For his part, Hulk is happy with his next step, adding: “It’s a team in which young drivers have repeatedly delivered exceptional performances. I would like to take up that baton.”

Nico’s current teammate Paul di Resta has previously lamented the lack of options for moving to a big team, and this news will come as another blow for the Brit, who looks set to settle for Force India next year.