2025 Miami Grand Prix – Friday
Miami, 2 May 2025 – Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber just missed out on a spot in the top ten in the Sprint Qualifying session at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix. Nico Hulkenberg set the 11th fastest time in a very fiercely fought afternoon around the Hard Rock Stadium. Team-mate, Gabriel Bortoleto, was on course to book a place in SQ2 with a good final lap in the first segment of the session, but a lock-up in the final sector relegated him to P19 for tomorrow’s Sprint.
With points on offer for the first eight drivers in the morning’s 100-km race, there will be plenty at stake as we return to the track tomorrow; and crucially, today’s performance, as well as the learnings from these early sessions, will give the team hope to claim a solid result in the main Qualifying showdown.
Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal: “Nico delivered a very strong Sprint Qualifying session today, just missing out on SQ3 by eight hundredths of a second. Gabriel made a small mistake going into the final corner, and that ultimately cost him—he had the potential to make it into SQ2. Overall, an encouraging performance from both drivers, and credit to the team for doing an excellent job in preparing the cars and putting us in a competitive position. We’re looking forward to tomorrow’s Sprint race and the Qualifying session to follow.”
Nico Hulkenberg (car number 27):
FP1: 14th / 1:28.573 (13 laps)
SQ1: 1:28.542 (6 laps)
SQ2: 11th / 1:27.850 (3 laps)
“I’m happy we maximised our potential in Sprint Qualifying today. Given the challenging FP1 we had this morning, P11 feels even more rewarding. I suffered from a flat spot in my first stint on the medium tyres, leaving me only the soft tyres for another four laps – obviously, that wasn't the best preparation for qualifying. It’s definitely a positive start for the team as we enter the Miami race weekend: now our aim will be to retain the competitiveness we have shown today into tomorrow’s Sprint race.”
Gabriel Bortoleto (car number 5):
FP1: 15th / 1:28.771 (19 laps)
SQ1: 19th / 1:29.312 (6 laps)
“I was really happy with my final SQ1 lap, as I was gaining quite a bit on my previous attempt and I think it would have been enough for a place in SQ2. But I had a lock up at turn 17 and effectively lost the lap. It’s a shame, and it will make the Sprint very difficult: overtaking here can be a challenge, especially in tomorrow’s shorter format. We will give it our best to improve our position and learn as much as we can about race conditions. Most importantly, we saw today that our performance is quite solid and can allow us to be in the midfield: we can look forward to Qualifying, later tomorrow, where we can hopefully have a stronger showing.”