After a difficult 2024 Formula 1 campaign for Sauber, new hires Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto will have low expectations for the upcoming season.
Sauber finished dead last in the 2024 Constructors’ standings and didn’t score points until the penultimate round of the season in Qatar.
CTO and COO Mattia Binotto told Autosport that when he arrived at the team last summer he felt like the Hinwil-based outfit was “frozen” with no clear path of development.
With plenty of work to be done ahead of the 2026 Audi takeover, Binotto has predicted a tough few years for the team.
“So can we be successful next season? Not at all,” he said.
“Can we be in a couple of years? Not at all, because we will not have the people in place, we will not have the facilities in place and all the tools required.
“So what can be [the target] in the meantime? It’s improving, improving each single season, as simple as that.”
What does this mean for Sauber’s drivers in 2025?
Gabriel Bortoleto
Gabriel Bortoleto ascends to F1 as the reigning Formula 2 champion, but the Brazilian driver has a tough year ahead of him.
In joining Sauber, Bortoleto has signed with the worst team from the 2024 field making his task relatively simple.
All the Brazillian has to do in 2025 is make a good account of himself, learn from uber-experienced team-mate Hulkenberg and produce the groundwork to sustain a more productive sophomore campaign under new rules as the team transforms into Audi.
Speaking after his first Sauber running at the 2024 post-season test in Abu Dhabi, the former McLaren junior said: “Today marked my first day as a Formula One driver – it’s an amazing feeling.
“I think overall we had a positive testing session – I put my focus on adapting to the car, learning as much as possible, getting used to the engineers, to the mechanics, everyone in the team,” Bortoleto continued.
“It’s safe to say that we have seen a positive first day in my new role. F1 cars are so much quicker, it’s definitely very different from Formula 2 obviously, but I’m looking forward to this new chapter.
“I am even more proud to be part of this team now and excited to see what we can achieve together next year.”
Nico Hulkenberg
Hulkenberg’s return to Sauber after 11 years sees him in a familiar situation.
His full-time F1 return in 2023 was marred with a dismal Haas F1 car, but the German weathered that storm to prosper with a rejuvenated Haas in 2024.
Expectations are obivously low at Sauber heading into 2025 after scoring just four points last year and Hulkenberg’s task will be to lead the team to better days ahead of the Audi switch.
Still, after his Abu Dhabi post-season test running last month, where he finished fourth, Hulkenberg had a positive outlook.
“The first day together is now behind us and I think today has been a productive and positive start – we were able to take care of the basics and begin working together as a team,” he said.
“It was generally very useful to get a first impression of the car. I’m looking forward to building on this momentum in the new year and really diving into the work ahead of us.
“I would like to thank everyone for the warm welcome and I can‘t wait to get back to this in 2025.”
READ MORE – Nico Hulkenberg: Sauber F1 return ‘going to be tough’
