Sauber Technical Director James Key has explained how the team has risen to fighting in the Formula 1 midfield this year, ahead of its transition to Audi.
The Swiss squad endured one of the worst seasons in its history last year, with Zhou Guanyu’s eighth-place finish at the penultimate race in Qatar its only points-scoring finish.
A meagre four points as its reward condemned the team to bottom in the Constructors’ Championship, 13 points behind nearest challenger Williams.
Some late upgrades saw the C44 produce some more competitive performances, but the damage was already done.
In reality, the C45 was not initially much better, with Nico Hulkenberg’s seventh place at the opening round in Australia an outlier for what became a tricky series of races.
“These cars were already pretty well developed last year,” Key told Auto Motor und Sport, explaining resources at Hinwil could not enable the team to keep up with its rivals.
“This year, even more so. If you don’t have confidence that the details will work, you can easily overshoot the mark,” he added.
Key revealed that “already clear that we were on the right track to solving our problems,” in regard to its ’24 machine, but admitted that it “just took a long time.”
“There are a few technologies that we haven’t implemented in the wind tunnel yet,” Key added.
“But larger teams have, such as PIV [particle image velocimetry] measurement technology, which can be used to determine the flow velocity specifically under the car.
“That would have helped us identify this problem earlier.”
‘Stable’ Sauber car gives drivers confidence with Audi change close
Thankfully for Sauber, the problem was identified in the end, and since the beginning of the European leg, there has been a significant upturn in fortunes.
Hulkenberg snatched fifth place in Spain, the start of a run of four successive points finishes, ending with his duck-breaking first podium at the British Grand Prix.
Rookie team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto got in on the act, too, scoring points in three of the last four races, including a career-best sixth last time out in Hungary.
“We got twice what we expected from the downforce gain, which was very good, on the race track,” Key said.
“As a result, our car was more stable in the simulator before the season than it was on the race track.
“That’s why we were happy with our initial product. Many of the decisions that led us in the wrong direction were due to the simulator putting us on the wrong track.
“Because the car is now so consistent and stable, the drivers simply have more confidence. They feel like they can do anything with it.”
Key and the rest of the team is now starting to shift its attentions towards 2026, a year of new beginnings in many ways.
Not only will F1 begin a new era with a comprehensive set of regulations that may shake up the sport, it is also the completion of Sauber’s transition to Audi.
The Sauber team, in terms of personnel, will remain, ensuring a smooth continuity, but Key acknowledges that representing such a huge brand comes at a cost.
“2026 will see the biggest rule change ever,” he said. “Everything will be different. For us, there’s even more to it. We will become a factory team with a new identity.
“Audi is entering this championship with a lot of commitment, attention and confidence in this team. That’s fantastic for us, but it’s also a responsibility.”
Not only will the Hinwil base remain and be extended, Audi will also have its Neuberg HQ at its disposal, as well as another technological base at Bicester Motion.
Key explains that there is already a sense of cohesion between the main two locations, but admits it is a slight adjustment to what the team is used to right now.
“The engine department in Neuburg and the chassis group in Hinwil work very closely together in a friendly atmosphere,” he said.
“It helps when you have the opportunity to solve things quickly. All joint decisions are made on the basis of performance. It’s a completely different world.”
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