Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber arrived in Las Vegas for the first stop of the season’s final triple-header carrying a run of encouraging form and an eye on a tightening Constructors’ Championship battle. The team also brought added spectacle to the Strip with a special-edition livery for the C45s of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, unveiled as the city prepared for another night-race showcase. The weekend marked a return to a street circuit, with the team focused on conversion: recent rounds had produced consistent top-ten appearances with one car, and the objective in Nevada was to translate that into a double-points result.
Practice running opened under cold desert air and occasional drizzle, but both drivers completed their programmes and collected key data for the changing night conditions. Hulkenberg’s early pace suggested another competitive weekend, even as the mixed tyre usage across the field made direct comparisons difficult. Bortoleto, tackling the circuit for the first time, made steady progress while adjusting to the challenge of low temperatures and a surface that evolved session by session. Despite a red flag interrupting soft-compound runs, the team left Friday confident in its baseline direction.
Qualifying unfolded in dramatically different conditions as persistent rain left the Strip soaked and tarmac grip severely reduced. Lap times ballooned and visibility proved difficult, but the team’s strategy ensured both cars navigated the session cleanly. Hulkenberg progressed to Q2 and came within a narrow margin of the top ten before settling for 11th on the grid. Bortoleto, experiencing his first wet qualifying and his first running on extreme wet tyres, started 18th after a late-session drop-off in grip prevented him from improving his time.
Sunday’s race extended the team’s points-scoring streak to four consecutive Grands Prix. Hulkenberg delivered a composed performance, executing a one-stop strategy with precision to secure ninth place and another valuable haul for the Constructors’ standings. Bortoleto’s evening ended at the first corner following contact that forced his retirement, with a post-race review resulting in a five-place grid penalty for the following round in Qatar.
The weekend also saw the return of Emma Felbermayr for the F1 Academy season finale. The event marked the conclusion of her rookie campaign, one defined by steady progress as she built experience across the year. Her participation in Las Vegas reflected the team’s commitment to talent development as Audi’s transition into Formula One continues to gather pace.
With two rounds now remaining and 64 points secured in the Constructors’ Championship, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber leaves Las Vegas maintaining momentum and focused on maximising every remaining opportunity as the season heads into its final stretch.
TEAM QUOTES
Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal
“Another mixed weekend for the team. We went into the race committed to a hard-medium one-stop strategy, with a clear backup plan in case graining became an issue. The track surface here is unique, so tyre behaviour was our main focus throughout the weekend. Unfortunately, Gabi misjudged his braking point in the first corner which resulted in an incident that both ended his race early and resulted in a five-place grid penalty for Qatar.
“On the other side of the garage, we saw another great performance from Nico which, for the second race in a row, resulted in a points finish. We leave Las Vegas with 64 points, getting a bit closer to our main competitors in the Constructors’ Championship with only two races left this season.”
Nico Hulkenberg, Car# 27
Race result: 9th
Fastest lap: 1:34.592 (Lap 49)
Strategy & Pit Stops: Start (New Hard) – Lap 30 (New Medium)
“Another couple of points on the board today, and I think we can be pretty satisfied with that – it was likely the maximum available.
Everyone who finished ahead started ahead and probably had a bit more pace, so we executed well to bring it home where we did It was a clean, solid one-stop strategy in a low-deg race with not too much variation, and the team did a great job.
“The first stint on the hard tyre was strong – managing it while racing closely in the early laps took some effort, but we pulled it off nicely. We gained two important points for the team, and while the fight in the standings is still very close, there’s everything to play for.”
Gabriel Bortoleto, Car# 5
Race result: DNF
Fastest lap: –
Strategy & Pit Stops: Start (New Hard) – Lap 1 (New Medium – DNF)
“First of all, I would like to apologise to Lance [Stroll]. It was my fault – I had a strong launch and went for a move on the inside of the Williams, but by the time I committed, I misjudged the braking point by a few meters and it was already too late to slow the car down properly. I went in a bit long, had no angle to make the corner, and ended up hitting him. It’s a shame, because the weekend seemed promising until qualifying, and then the mistake on lap one ruined both our races. I just need to put everything together now for the remaining two races of the season – clean laps, clean weekends – because not finishing these last two races meant losing track experience I should have been gaining. I’ll learn from this, reset, and make sure to come back to the performance levels I’ve shown before as we come to Doha next week.”
PHOTO GALLERY
photos: Sauber Group