2025 Spanish Grand Prix – Sunday
Barcelona, 1 June 2025 – KICK Sauber F1 Team closed out the European triple header with a positive, points-scoring weekend in Barcelona, making clear progress and recording the team's best result in three years, thanks to the recent upgrade package as well as a well-executed strategy for both cars.
Nico Hulkenberg finished fifth, while Gabriel Bortoleto showed encouraging pace throughout the race, eventually just missing out on his first points in the final laps. It was a solid performance for the team, which reflected the work done in recent weeks both trackside and back at base in Hinwil.
Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal: “Today was an outstanding performance for the team and for everyone back at the factory who worked so hard to get the upgrades delivered. We opted for a soft / medium-soft strategy before the race, and that’s what we delivered against. Both cars had good starts, the car pace was strong during the race, and as a team we made some really good strategy calls, resulting in a great performance all round. I want to single out and congratulate the pit crew who worked so hard throughout the race, including an outstanding 2.1 second stop.
“Looking at Nico’s race, he had a great opening lap, with us opting for an early first stop to cover Bearman. We boxed under the safety car for a new set of softs, capitalizing on that with a great overtake on Hamilton. Nico finishing P5 was not only a great result, it was also our highest finish since Imola 2022.
“As for Gabriel, we boxed him on lap 13 to put him on the mediums, looking at a potential one-stop. We took an aggressive strategy looking for points for Gabriel, but unfortunately, that risk didn’t pay off. So, in the end, we boxed him under the safety car for a new set of softs and he had some strong pace until the end of the race. It feels great to finish the European triple-header on such a high, securing valuable points and reflecting the hard work across the entire race and factory team.”
Nico Hulkenberg (car number 27):
Race result: 5th
Fastest lap: 1:17.575 (Lap 63)
Strategy & Pit Stops: Start (New Soft) – Lap 9 (New Medium) – Lap 45 (New Soft) – Lap 56 (New Soft)
"It was one of those Sundays where everything came together really well. Right from the beginning, we were in the mix — a strong start, a clean first lap, and we were immediately able to fight for points. Ironically, not having the best Saturday and saving a set of softs gave us a strategic edge with the tyre allocation. The Safety Car mixed things up a bit, and having those fresh compounds turned out to be a golden ticket. There was a significant delta between used and new tyres today, so that really paid off.
“The car felt good all weekend, and the updates clearly gave us a step forward in performance — we had strong pace throughout the race. Credits to the whole team, both at the factory and trackside, for the hard work on the upgrades. I didn’t quite maximise things yesterday — it was disappointing to underdeliver, and I was frustrated with myself. But that anger gave me an extra push today. It’s satisfying to bounce back like this and bring home 10 points. Big result for us, that’s what matters in the end."
Gabriel Bortoleto (car number 5):
Race result: 12th
Fastest lap: 1:18.297 (Lap 12)
Strategy & Pit Stops: Start (Used Soft) – Lap 19 (New Medium) – Lap 49 (New Soft)
“First things first, congratulations to Nico and the team. This result is a testament of how well the upgrades have worked, and seeing the car's potential today has been truly inspiring – making me even more motivated to work towards my first points. From my side, I think it has been a solid race. We took everything we had in our hands and made the most of it. The team did a really good job with the strategy today. The Safety Car didn’t swing our way, but that’s part of racing. What really stands out is the pace we showed — it was strong, and the upgrades were a big step forward for both of us. It’s been a triple header full of learnings and positive momentum. We’re heading in the right direction, and now it’s straight back to work as we get ready to hit the ground running in Montreal in two weeks.