Sauber mid-season review: From backmarkers to mid-field fighters

Chloe Buckley
1 day ago
4 min read

As we head into the second half of the 2025 Formula One season after a lengthy summer break, our F1 writers take you through the state of play with each team on the grid.

Sauber sit seventh in the Constructors’ Championship | Credit: Formula One

With a total of zero points this time last season, Sauber have made an impressive amount of progress after racking up 51 points so far. This already outscores their overall total of four points in the Constructors’ Championship in 2024, where they finished rock bottom in P10.

Such a leap in performance shows how much progress has been made over 12 months. There have been several changes in the team that contribute to the jump in performance. A fresh driver lineup, a new Team Principal and a renewed sense of confidence have brought Sauber a fantastic season so far, and the momentum going into the next half of the year should help the team climb further up the ranks.

This year’s all-new driver pairing consists of veteran Nico Hülkenberg and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, replacing Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu who endured a rocky spell at the Hinwil-based team.

For Bortoleto, this is his first season in F1 after a Formula 2 Drivers’ Championship victory last year. His F2 campaign was defined by great consistency in sprint and feature races, which secured him the title and made him a frontrunner in the scrap for a seat at Sauber.

Gabriel Bortoleto is currently 17th in the Drivers’ Championship in his first F1 season | Credit: Formula One

Hülkenberg on the other hand is contesting his 15th season in F1. After spending two years at Haas, he has brought plentiful experience to Sauber.

Scoring his long-awaited first podium at Silverstone this year has been a defining story of the season, as well as a huge boost of optimism for him and the team.

Leadership has played a key role in the revival of Sauber. Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley joined the team in April, making the switch from Red Bull where he was previously the Sporting Director. Now he works alongside Mattia Binotto, former Ferrari boss, and has helped sharpen the team’s performance.

Looking at both drivers’ head-to-heads, Bortoleto outqualifies Hülkenberg 8-6. On Sundays, however, he is down 5-8 to Hülkenberg (excluding the Bahrain Grand Prix due to Hülkenberg’s disqualification). A quick rookie on Saturdays and a seasoned veteran shining during the race gives Sauber versatility in the midfield battle.

High point

When Hülkenberg got his shock result of P5 in Spain after qualifying P15, it was evident that Sauber had the potential to push further than we have seen them do in recent history, especially after a string of point-less races.

When the British Grand Prix rolled around in July, Hülkenberg qualified P19. Not expecting much going into his 239th race start, at a rainy Silverstone track, Hülkenberg managed to finally secure his long-awaited first ever podium.

Not only was this a historic moment in his career, but also ended a decade plus long wait for another Sauber podium – it was the first since the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix where Kamui Kobayashi came in third.

Hülkenberg achieved his first podium finish at Silverstone this year | Credit: Formula One

Hülkenberg’s success at Silverstone is the biggest feel-good moment of the season so far and showed that Sauber are more than capable of big points finishes.

While Hülkenberg didn’t score within the top 10 in the following two races, Bortoleto stepped up, finishing P9 in Belgium then an outstanding P6 in Hungary, his best result so far.

Low point

With some exciting moments for Sauber this year, there’s also been a fair share of low points. Earlier in the season, the team endured a painful, point-less stretch from round two to round eight.

An especially frustrating moment for Hülkenberg was when he lost his P13 finish in Bahrain. It was an unfortunate disqualification for the German after stewards had found excessive skid block wear following the race.

Additionally, Bortoleto has had his share of setbacks too. The rookie has been forced to retire from three races this year: in Australia, Miami and most recently at Silverstone. This misfortune is not an ideal introduction to F1 and has cost him valuable experience as well as the chance to build up points compared to fellow rookies in the mid-field.

Missed opportunities such as these ones show how fine the margins are in the mid-field fight. While Sauber have shown glimmers of potential, the low points play a huge part in defining the outcome of the season.

Looking ahead

For the final 10 rounds of the season, Sauber must prioritise capitalising on the progress they’ve made so far and building consistency in qualifying and race pace. Consistency in qualifying and race pace is vital to keep up with the other mid-field competitors.

The mid-field battle remains incredibly tight, and there is a very real chance that Sauber could fall back if the likes of Racing Bulls and Haas can bounce back. However, there’s still a possibility to climb as high as fifth in the standings if they continue to put the pressure on Aston Martin and Williams.

Every point will matter and avoiding costly DNFs will be more important for Sauber than ever. Both race strategy and driver performance needs to come together to maximise results.

In 2026, Sauber will officially transform into Audi. For the team, these last few months of 2024 aren’t just about scoring points, they’re about laying the foundations for Audi’s arrival.