2025 Monaco Grand Prix – Saturday

Monaco, 24 May 2025 – Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber managed to get one car into Q2 on the tight and twisty streets of Monte Carlo, with Nico Hulkenberg qualifying 13th for tomorrow’s Monaco Grand Prix. Team-mate, Gabriel Bortoleto, missed out on a spot in the second segment of the session for the smallest of margins, setting the 16th fastest time—only 0.022s from making the cut.

With a novel regulation mandating the usage of three sets of tyres for tomorrow’s showpiece event, strategy will play an even more crucial role in the race. On a track where overtaking is the ultimate challenge, a good result will hinge on a solid strategy by the team, a strong start and, ultimately, steely focus by the drivers to bring the cars home in the Principality.
 

Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal: "Today’s qualifying session underscored just how incredibly tight the margins are this season. In Q1, the gap between P1 and P15 was a mere six-tenths of a second. Gabriel delivered a clean and composed performance throughout all three practice sessions and into qualifying. It’s important to remember that this was his first time driving on this circuit in a Formula One car, and his measured approach gave him the best possible foundation going into the session. In the end, he narrowly missed out on Q2 by just 0.022 seconds, finishing P16.

“Nico, meanwhile, found a strong rhythm over the weekend, carried that momentum into qualifying, and progressed through to Q2 to secure P13. What stood out most today was the team’s execution—communication was sharp, decisions were well-timed, and everything came together cohesively. It’s a strong indicator of the team's operational strength and gives us confidence heading into tomorrow’s race.

“Looking ahead, the revised sporting regulations—which require all teams to use three sets of tyres—will demand smart, flexible strategy calls. That’s where opportunities may arise, and we’ll be doing everything we can to identify and capitalise on them.”

Nico Hulkenberg (car number 27):
FP3: 13th / 1:12.125 (25 laps)
Q1: 1:11.871 (13 laps)

Q2: 13th / 1:11.596 (10 laps)

“It was a clean qualifying session today. Reaching Q2 was an important target, and I’m pleased we achieved that: to be honest, however, I was hoping for a stronger grid position than P13. In the final runs of Q2 I wasn’t able to find more lap time, especially in sector one and two; sector three was really strong, but it unfortunately the wasn’t quite enough to make it into Q3.

“Our focus now shifts to tomorrow’s race. We showed solid pace on long runs during yesterday’s free practice, which gives us some confidence. The real challenge, though, will be managing the three mandatory sets of tyres. It will be interesting to see how teams approach that, as there are quite a few strategic options on the table. Obviously, teams and drivers will have long meetings tonight and cook up some ideas.”

Gabriel Bortoleto (car number 5):

FP3: 19th / 1:12.601 (28 laps)
Q1: 16th / 1:11.902 (13 laps)
 

"It's very painful to miss Q2 by just two hundredths of a second, especially here in Monaco, where everything is so close and the difference hangs on getting every corner perfectly. I braked just a bit too late going into the second-to-last corner, which caused some understeer and likely cost me those crucial milliseconds. But in a qualifying session like this, everyone could say the same—there’s always something more you could have done. After a tough FP3, I'm glad we found a better balance for qualifying; it was the first session in which I felt at ease with the car, which is crucial as you need to be on the pace from the first run.

“Tomorrow's race, with the new tyre compound rules, will be interesting—we'll likely see some crazy strategies, some successful and others not, but there will be a few more chances to move up compared to a regular Monaco. We're close to our rivals, and we'll try to maximise any opportunity. Even though today’s result is disappointing, it's part of the unique challenge of Monaco. Now, our focus shifts entirely to tomorrow—we have to be clever with our strategy and fight for every position."