HALF TERM REPORT: Kick Sauber’s best and worst moments from 2025 so far and driver head-to-heads

After finishing rock bottom in P10 for the 2024 season, Kick Sauber currently hold seventh place in the Teams’ Standings at the midway point of 2025, a season in which they have improved drastically on the disappointment of last year. With the brand new line-up of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto delivering so far, after replacing Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, a tight battle awaits in the midfield positions. Can Sauber find more points and podium finishes in the second half of the campaign? Let’s take a look at their half term report…

Best finish

Hulkenberg – 3rd in Britain

Hulkenberg’s podium finish at Silverstone was one of the fairytale stories of the year as he secured a place in the top three for the first time on his 239th Grand Prix start. It said it all as the experienced German later revealed he had over 700 messages of congratulations to wade through afterwards.

The 38-year-old perfectly navigated the treacherous wet-dry conditions that hit the British Grand Prix, rising from a P19 start on the grid to a place on the rostrum, as he also held off home hero Lewis Hamilton in the latter stages of the race.

“It’s been a long time coming, hasn’t it?" Hulkenberg said afterwards. "I always knew we have it in us, and I have it in me somewhere.”

Qualifying head-to-head

Hulkenberg 6-8 Bortoleto

The more experienced Hulkenberg, known for his prowess over one lap, is behind his rookie team mate Bortoleto in the Qualifying battle so far this year, with the Brazilian's eye-catching P7 in Hungarian GP Qualifying a particular high point – it was his best of the season so far.

In contrast, Hulkenberg's best grid start was 11th at the Canadian Grand Prix in Monaco, with the German enduring something of a rollercoaster season when it comes to his Qualifying results.

Race head-to-head

Hulkenberg* 8-5 Bortoleto

While last year's F2 champion Bortoleto has edged the Qualifying stats this season, Hulkenberg leads the race head-to head stats between the Sauber pair.

Much of that has come down to some truly brilliant rises up the order from the German. From Round 9 in Spain he embarked on a consistent run of top-10 finishes such as P5 in Barcelona (having started 15th on the grid), P8 in Canada (having started P11) and the aformentioned podium at Silverstone.

Bortoleto has had some impressive race results of his own, however, particularly in the run-up to the August break. Eighth in Austria, ninth in Belgium and a stunning sixth last time out in Hungary demonstrates how much the Brazilian has improve of late.

*Hulkenberg was disqualified from the Bahrain Grand Prix due to excessive skid block wear on his Kick Sauber

Best moment

Once again we have to mention Hulkenberg's podium finish in Silverstone – unsurprisingly that has to be Sauber's best moment from the season so far. Not only did it end Hulkenberg's 15-year wait to reach the rostrum but it was Sauber's first podium since Japan 2012 with Kamui Kobayashi.

Looking back on his podium just a few weeks later in Belgium, Hulkenberg said the reaction to his P3 was "overwhelming" but he also explained that he hoped it would give the team the push to keep up momentum.

Bortoleto’s sixth-place finish in Hungary also deserves a mention, as it showcases the step forward both the rookie and the wider team have made this year.

Worst moment

It feels like a long time ago, but Sauber did not enjoy the easiest start of the season with the squad enduring a point-less run between Rounds 2 and 8. The low point of that stint was Hulkenberg's disqualification from the Bahrain Grand Prix after stewards found his car had excessive skid block wear. No one wants to have a disqualification on their record for the season.

Bortoleto has also had low moments of his own this season, with three DNFs to his name – in Australia, Miami and in Silverstone. While his team mate went on to secure that famous podium, Bortoleto's own British Grand Prix ended after he "made a mistake" in opting to pit for slick tyres at the start of the race before spinning off a few laps later.

Going forward

Sauber have made impressive progress this year and are well in the mix to be best of the midfield – they're just one point behind sixth-placed Aston Martin and 19 points behind fifth-placed Williams.

With their transformation into Audi coming next season, this bodes well for what's to come, and Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley appears to have the squad on the right path after joining the team on April 1.

With 10 races left to go in 2025, the Hinwil-based team need to keep showcasing the progress they have already demonstrated ahead of next season with the car and a chance to finish fifth is a wonderful goal to have considering how 2024 panned out.

In Hulkenberg and Bortoleto they also have an ideal blend of youth and experience, and continuing to get the best out of that pairing ahead of 2026 will be top of the agenda with a new era beckoning.