Sauber's Pascal Wehrlein says he is expecting their Hungarian Grand Prix development package to deliver a big performance boost, as almost the entire car will be upgraded for the race.
The Swiss team is currently ninth in the standings, ahead of only McLaren which has two points to Sauber's five – all of which have been scored by Wehrlein thanks to his eighth place finish in Spain and tenth in Azerbaijan.
Whilst Renault remain some way in the distance with 26 points, Sauber's aim is to finish ahead of McLaren, which will be a difficult task as both the Woking team and its engine supplier Honda are working hard on delievering race-by-race developments.
But Wehrlein is confident of a boost in that fight at the next round in Hungary.
![Franco Colpinto [front] avoided Liam Lawson [back] at the start of the Australian GP](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Franco-Colapinto-F1-Aus-GP-120x86.webp)
"For Budapest we are set for a big upgrade," he told the official Formula 1 website. "Almost all the car – or all the aero side – will be new, so that should give us a good performance boost.
"If what the data shows really can materialise we could be on a good go. So the plan is to [move past] the Silverstone weekend and look forward to Budapest!"
Wehrlein admits that Sauber needs "luck" to score points this season, but says the team is working hard to change that, and with the recent signing of Frederic Vasseur as team boss, the German feels that progress isn't far off.
"The team wants to do better than we are doing now or did last season," added Wehrlein. "So from now on we need ‘lucky races’.
"It is definitely a different situation now than it has been. The team wants to get back to where they were around five years ago. You can physically feel this desire in the team.
"I don’t know how fast Fred can change things or how he can change them. He has so much experience in motorsport and in many other ventures outside racing. He is a very successful man. He could help Sauber. He could be very good for the team."
![Franco Colpinto [front] avoided Liam Lawson [back] at the start of the Australian GP](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Franco-Colapinto-F1-Aus-GP-350x250.webp)
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