Sauber faced another fruitless race in Jeddah, lacking pace and execution, as both drivers finished outside the points once again.
Sauber endured a tough weekend at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with drivers finishing 15th and 18th—far from the points and never truly in contention.
The team experimented with strategy, splitting tyre choices early in the race. Gabriel Bortoleto was placed on a bold one-stop stint with hard tyres immediately after the safety car. But the gamble didn’t pay off—he crossed the line last in 18th.
“This weekend taught us a lot—about preparation, adapting to setbacks, and the importance of every session,” Bortoleto said. “It was tough from start to finish. We took a risk going on hard tyres early, but by the last 15 laps they were done. I was just focused on making it to the end.”
Despite the disappointing result, Bortoleto remains positive as he looks ahead.
“Now it’s time to reset—mentally and physically. I’m grateful to the entire team at the track and back at the factory. They’ve supported me through every race and helped me grow as a driver. I’ll take the lessons from Jeddah into Miami, and I’ll come back fighting.”
On the other side of the garage, Nico Hülkenberg managed to extract the most from his car with a smooth pit stop and steady race. Still, 15th place was the limit.
“This was the toughest race of the season so far,” said Hülkenberg. “It was a clean Sunday—no crashes, no yellow flags after lap one—and that didn’t really help us. We simply didn’t have the pace to challenge for points.”
“The balance wasn’t ideal, which led to more tyre degradation than expected. But we brought the car home, gathered valuable data, and showed progress compared to early 2024.”
After an intense start to the season and a challenging triple-header, the team welcomes the short break before heading to Miami.
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No Points, No Luck: Sauber’s Saudi Struggles Persist
No Points, No Luck: Sauber’s Saudi Struggles Persist
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