2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Saturday
Baku, 20 September 2025 – Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber placed one car in Q2 in a fraught qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The treacherous Baku City Circuit produced thrills and spills, with a record-breaking six red flags across two hours of qualifying. The session concluded with Gabriel Bortoleto earning a solid P13, while Hulkenberg battled back to P17 following a contact with the barriers earlier in the session.
Rain in Q3 helped deliver a mixed-up grid, which means tomorrow there will be everything to play for: in a venue with a solid track record of chaotic races, both drivers and their C45s will be in the thick of the action when the lights go out.
Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal: “It was a scrappy, wind affected qualifying session with an unprecedented six red flags, one of which involved Nico. Ultimately, both drivers struggled to deliver a clean lap and, as a result, we find ourselves starting the race from P13 and P17. It was clearly a day to forget on the timing sheets, but the great thing about Formula 1 is that every race brings opportunities. We will regroup overnight and focus our attention on the race tomorrow."
Nico Hulkenberg (car number 27):
FP3: 12th / 1:42.428 (17 laps)
Q1: 17th / 1:42.916 (8 laps)
“It was a disappointing session, no doubt. For the first time all weekend, I struggled quite a lot with front locking, and that made it tough to put a clean lap together. Up until qualifying, things had been going well, so it’s frustrating to miss the mark when it mattered most.
“It’s obviously going to be a challenge starting from where we are, but crazy things can happen at this track and we’re here to fight. The car has felt decent all weekend overall, and if things open up in the race, we’ll try to take full advantage. We’ll reset tonight and give it everything tomorrow.”
Gabriel Bortoleto (car number 5):
FP3: 18th / 1:43.060 (16 laps)
Q1: 1:42.511 (9 laps)
Q2: 13th / 1:42.277 (7 laps)
“Qualifying felt like I did not get the perfect lap today. I lost some time in the last corner and, with the windy conditions, it was tricky for us to put everything together. Still, I managed to bring the car safely into Q2, which was a decent outcome: of course, as a driver you always want the very best result, and I am obviously a bit disappointed, but I think this is what was achievable for us today. Now, we look ahead to tomorrow: our race pace has shown some potential, and if we can manage the opening laps well, I believe we can put in a solid performance and hopefully fight for points again.”