2025 Japanese Grand Prix – Saturday
Suzuka, 5 April 2025 – In an exceptionally close Qualifying session, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber secured P16 and P17 on the starting grid for the Japanese Grand Prix. On one of the most demanding circuits in Formula One, just one second covered the top 17 drivers in Q1 — a testament to the razor-thin margins that defined the session.
Nico narrowly missed out on advancing to Q2 by only 0.016 seconds, with a small error proving costly in the final moments. Gabriel, tackling the iconic Suzuka track for the first time, delivered a strong performance and finished just 0.052 seconds behind his teammate.
With rain in the forecast, Sunday’s race could present a mix of challenges and opportunities. The team is prepared to make the most of any changing conditions and will aim to fight forward when the lights go out.
Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal: “It wasn’t the Qualifying we were ideally hoping for, especially given the margins are so tight. Nico missed out on Q2 by two hundredths, Gabriel by seven hundredths. I want to thank the team, who worked tirelessly to fit the upgrades we brought to Suzuka. In my first Qualifying session with the team, I can already feel the positive energy and momentum building. We now turn our focus to the race tomorrow and with Suzuka often delivering the unexpected, we are looking forward to delivering the best race results possible.”
Nico Hulkenberg (car number 27):
FP3: 20th / 1:30.621 (17 laps)
Q1: 16th / 1:28.570 (9 laps)
“The car has been a bit tricky all weekend long, today even more with the wind change in Sector 1 which has turned 180 degrees compared to yesterday. It’s just a bit difficult to find the right balance and we knew it was going to be tight in the midfield and it really was. I had a bit of a wobble at the exit of Turn 9 and lost some time there. Unfortunately, that happens when you're on the edge and that’s where we are now. I was not able to bring my tyres up to the perfect temperature on my warmup lap due to traffic with cars on their fast lap. This was not perfect too. For tomorrow it looks like there might be different weather on the way, which could create an opportunity that we are willing to use."
Gabriel Bortoleto (car number 5):
FP3: 17th / 1:30.134 (13 laps)
Q1: 17th / 1:28.622 (9 laps)
"I missed Q2 by just one tenth today, and all my laps felt good, without any mistakes. I ended up quite close to my team-mate, which is encouraging considering how fast and experienced he is. Now, we can compare the data and understand where we can improve as a team. We could have possibly done a small step further to improve the car for the last set of tyres, but we decided to stay safe and not do any major changes. In all fairness, I am happy with my laps, and fine with what we brought home today – I think that’s the position we could aim for. Overall, I am happy with the work the team has done all weekend so far, and I'm ready for the race tomorrow."