Sauber targets strategic risks in the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix as Hülkenberg reaches Q2 and Bortoleto falls just short.
The Sauber team managed to get one car into Q2 on the narrow, winding streets of Monte Carlo, with Nico Hülkenberg qualifying 13th for tomorrow’s Monaco Grand Prix.
With the new regulation requiring the use of three tire compounds during tomorrow’s race, strategy will play an even more decisive role. On a circuit where overtaking is the ultimate challenge, a strong result will depend on solid team tactics, a good start, and, ultimately, unwavering focus from the drivers to bring the cars home in the Principality.
Hülkenberg Targets Race Gains
“Qualifying was clean today. Reaching Q2 was a key target and I’m glad we managed that. Honestly, I was hoping for a better grid position than 13th. In the final laps of Q2, I couldn’t find more lap time, especially in the first and second sectors; the third sector was really strong, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to make it into Q3.”
“We’re now turning our attention to tomorrow’s race. We showed consistent pace over long runs during yesterday’s free practice, which gives us confidence. The real challenge, however, will be managing the three mandatory tire compounds. It will be interesting to see how teams approach this, as many strategic options are possible. Obviously, teams and drivers will have lengthy meetings tonight to generate ideas.”
Bortoleto Misses Q2 Marginally
His teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, narrowly missed out on Q2, setting the 16th fastest time, just 0.022s off 15th place.
“It’s really painful to miss Q2 by just two hundredths of a second, especially here in Monaco where everything is so tight and the difference comes down to mastering every corner. I braked a bit too late going into the penultimate corner, which caused some understeer and probably cost me those crucial milliseconds. But in a qualifying session like this, everyone could say the same — there’s always something that could have been done better. After a tough FP3, I’m glad we found better balance for qualifying; it was the first session where I felt comfortable with the car, which is crucial because you need to be in rhythm from the very first stint.”
“Tomorrow’s race, with the new tire compound rules, will be interesting: we’ll likely see some wild strategies, some successful, some not, but there will be a few chances to make progress compared to a typical Monaco race. We’re close to our rivals and will try to maximize every opportunity. Even though today’s result is disappointing, it’s part of Monaco’s unique challenge. Now our full focus is on tomorrow: we need to be smart with our strategy and fight for every position.”
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