KICK Sauber’s penultimate race weekend of the 2025 Formula One season delivered competitive pace, flashes of progress and a late-race setback, as the team worked through the unique format of the Qatar Grand Prix under Lusail’s floodlights. Across practice, the Sprint and Sunday’s main event, both Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto demonstrated moments of genuine potential, even if the final result fell short of what the car hinted it could deliver.
photos: Sauber Motorsport AG
The weekend opened with a single practice session and Sprint Qualifying, where both drivers advanced cleanly through SQ1. Bortoleto posted the 13th-fastest time and Hulkenberg followed in 14th, the pair narrowly missing a place in the top ten shootout. The team identified balance shifts and small execution gaps as the difference between progressing and missing SQ3, but remained encouraged by underlying pace heading into Saturday.
In the Sprint, Bortoleto launched well, gaining two positions to finish 11th, just outside the points in the compressed 100-km format. Hulkenberg spent the race buried in dense midfield traffic and crossed the line 16th. A more telling assessment came later in the evening during qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix, where both cars again progressed strongly out of Q1. Hulkenberg delivered a tidy sequence of laps and missed Q3 by just three thousandths of a second, a margin representing less than a quarter of a metre at racing speed. He secured 11th on the grid, positioned to attack the top ten. Bortoleto placed 14th on raw pace but dropped to 19th due to a carryover grid penalty from Las Vegas.
Sunday brought the mixed fortunes that defined the team’s Qatar campaign. Hulkenberg’s race ended prematurely after a Turn 1 incident with Pierre Gasly on lap seven, cutting short a promising opening phase. On the other side of the garage, Bortoleto executed one of his strongest recovery drives of the season. From 19th on the grid, he carved through the field with consistent pace to finish 13th, supported by two rapid and clean pit stops from the crew. His progress underscored the car’s competitiveness even if points remained out of reach.
Despite the final classification, Sauber leaves Qatar with encouragement: improved execution in qualifying, competitive long-run pace and continued growth from its rookie driver. With one race left, the team shifts fully toward Abu Dhabi, aiming to convert flashes of promise into a decisive finish to its final season before becoming Audi’s works entry in 2026.
TEAM QUOTES
Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal
“Unfortunately, it was a tough day in the office for the team. After strong opening laps, Nico was caught in a racing incident at Turn 1, which ended his race early. Gabi delivered an impressive performance, starting from P19 and fighting through to P13 with strong pace throughout. The pit crew were outstanding once again, delivering two very quick and clean stops.
“Given our speed and where our competitors finished, a strong points result was within reach, so it is disappointing not to have converted that potential. Now we turn our focus to Abu Dhabi, the final race of an exciting season, determined to finish strong.”
Nico Hulkenberg, Car #27
Race result: DNF
Fastest lap: 1:28.139 (Lap 5)
Strategy & Pit Stops: Start (New Soft – DNF)
“It’s such a big shame to have a promising race end so early, after being hit by Pierre [Gasly], as I genuinely think we could have scored points today. I felt confident with the car yesterday and the pace was there in the first seven laps. Overtaking opportunities here are very limited, so I went for a maneuver around the outside, which is always a bit riskier, but I gave Pierre plenty of space. It’s very unfortunate, as there were definitely opportunities for us today. For now it’s only disappointment, but we’ll take a couple of days to refocus and try to finish our season in Abu Dhabi in the best possible way.”
Gabriel Bortoleto, Car #5
Race result: 13th
Fastest lap: 1:25.233 (Lap 54)
Strategy & Pit Stops: Start (New Medium) – Lap 7 (New Medium) – Lap 32 (New Soft)
“It wasn’t the most exciting race for me: there weren’t many overtakes, and I spent most of it being stuck behind Lewis [Hamilton].
Once he pulled a gap, I couldn’t really close it again, so my race just kind of stayed there from that point on. I had some battles at the start, but after that not much happened. There’s still something we can take from the weekend, and a few things we could’ve improved. The penalty from Las Vegas obviously affected my race today, but our pace itself was encouraging. If we’d started around P14, we might have had a shot at the top ten. Overall, there are definitely some good learnings to carry forward into the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi next week.”
PHOTO GALLERY
