Method 1 groups don’t leap from backmarker to frontrunner in a single day, an absurd premise that was among the many criticisms of the plot of F1: The Film. But its launch coincided with Sauber’s real-world transformation from backmarker within the first eight occasions of 2025 into contender. Nico Hulkenberg’s third place within the British Grand Prix could have been a smaller ‘victory’ than Hollywood calls for, and there’s no existential risk to the workforce to drive the drama, however even with out the cinematic largesse it’s a outstanding story.
Any epic requires a backstory and Sauber has that, albeit a convoluted one. Shaped in 1970 to construct and run hillclimb equipment campaigned by founder Peter Sauber, it made the lengthy journey to F1 in 1993 by way of success with Mercedes in sportscars. Sauber’s F1 commencement was supposed to be as a full works workforce, solely to go it alone when Mercedes backed out. Mercedes finally connected with McLaren, taking with it the Ilmor/Mercedes engines Sauber ran initially That was the start of a recurring narrative thread of thwarted producer goals.
Sauber constructed a popularity as a pragmatically-run midfield operation earlier than BMW purchased it, as producer alternative knocked a second time. After operating as BMW Sauber from 2006-2009, BMW pulled the plug because of a mix of the worldwide monetary disaster and the stoop in outcomes. Peter Sauber, who retained a stake all through this era, saved the workforce however occasions have been robust to the purpose the place Sauber teetered on the sting of monetary oblivion earlier than being purchased by Swedish billionaire Finn Rausing. After coming near promoting to Michael Andretti in 2021, Audi began its acquisition of the workforce, then in its fourth of 5 seasons operating beneath the Alfa Romeo identify because of a sponsorship deal, in 2022. Subsequent yr, the identify adjustments, Audi’s new energy unit arrives and the German works workforce dream shall be fulfilled.
That brings large expectations, one thing Sauber fell nicely wanting over the earlier two years. It by no means acquired as dangerous because it did for fictional workforce APX GP, which was and not using a level in two-and-a-half seasons initially of F1: The Film, however Sauber wasn’t far off. From mid-2022 to the tip of 2024, it scraped collectively simply 24 factors in 59 races. This brings us to the actual begin of the story: Sauber’s horrible begin to 2025.
Hopes have been greater after an uptick in kind late in ‘24, however pre-season testing in Bahrain was a nightmare. The automotive needed to be arrange stiff, was difficult to drive, unpredictable and sluggish. Worst of all, it was not behaving because the simulation instruments stated it ought to. There was no less than an improve launched for the Australian Grand Prix comprising a brand new entrance wing, flooring and bodywork, which represented the ‘actual’ 2025 Sauber. This improved the automotive, however solely from one which was all at sea and nicely off the again, to at least one on the again however able to scraping into Q2 if qualifying was executed completely, even when it lacked race tempo. That was the fact for the primary eight occasions of 2025, with Hulkenberg’s seventh place in Australia owing extra to good pitstop timing when the rain returned than tempo. Hulkenberg referred to “struggling in site visitors” and a automotive that was “difficult to drive”, whereas Gabriel Bortoleto indicated “even when now we have tempo it’s simply so tough” and talked about “unpredictable steadiness”, to select simply 4 feedback from throughout that run of occasions.
This was tackled with an improve that basically did make the automotive higher for fight, F1: The Film model. Or quite, it’s now higher behaved in turbulent air round different vehicles than it was beforehand. This can be a drawback for any F1 automotive, however the Sauber was significantly weak on this space early within the season. Gabriel Bortoleto’s journey into the gravel on the opening lap of the Chinese language Grand Prix after being caught out by the wake of Ollie Bearman’s Haas illustrates how dangerous issues have been. This isn’t Hollywood’s thought of a automotive that magically works brilliantly in soiled air, though that has improved. As a substitute, it’s a consequence of the all-round enchancment within the aerodynamics because of making a automotive that’s much less peaky. That is all about making the aerodynamic efficiency extra sturdy, that means much less vulnerable to affected by stalls that outcome from airflow separation or the community of interacting vortices bursting that results in a sudden drop in downforce.
“I name it driveability,” says workforce principal Jonathan Wheatley. “I can keep in mind sitting [on the pitwall] in Jeddah throughout qualifying and considering ‘the drivers simply can not choose a proper braking level for Flip 1’, the automotive was so tough to cease and switch there. I keep in mind coming away from there in our debrief saying that the drivers simply cannot construct on a constant lap time as a result of the automotive is a handful in sure conditions.
“What I seen from the primary improve was a confidence, even on the onboard cameras – I nonetheless like to observe them through the classes, particularly throughout qualifying. And I feel with the event program that is been put in place [means] there’s only a confidence within the automotive now. They’ll get pleasure from driving, it is much less peaky, they’re in a position to handle a race tempo over a distance as a result of they are not anxious about one axle over one other. And there is a consistency in constructing our qualifying tempo. One of many causes for being in Q2 [more often] this yr is simply having a broader working window.”
Sauber’s upgrades have made the automotive extra driveable, which in flip instills extra confidence within the drivers. And whereas the improved elements will not carry over to subsequent yr, the teachings realized on the technical aspect will. Zak Mauger/Getty Photos
Wheatley is referring to the brand new flooring that appeared for the ninth race of the season in Spain. Initially deliberate for 2 races earlier, this was the results of some rigorous investigation again at Sauber’s Hinwil base into why the automotive hadn’t behaved as anticipated from the beginning. This course of has not solely made the automotive extra aggressive, however crucially, has improved the technical workforce’s depth of understanding and methodologies. This underlying science shall be transferable to the 2026 challenge, though the elements aren’t.
“Barcelona was a results of numerous homework on getting a barely nasty shock in the beginning of the season of this isn’t the place we must always have been,” stated Key. “Our [performance] quantity was fairly excessive, theoretically, and had we achieved it, we’d have been the place we are actually or higher, however we simply did not, [meaning the initial reaction was] there’s one thing odd occurring right here. So we dived very deeply and got here up with new methods of creating issues, new metrics to guage one thing by. We did numerous measurements on observe to try to get our heads round why, when you’ve a quantity in entrance of you, really a complete set of numbers, they are not repeating themselves on observe.”
The Barcelona flooring was the important thing change. Hulkenberg turned the efficiency achieve right into a outstanding fifth place in Spain because of a mix of Kimi Antonelli’s retirement triggering a security automotive, bolting on recent softs that allowed him to move faster vehicles, and Max Verstappen’s penalty. Nonetheless, the very fact he was on the right track for ninth place on advantage even earlier than that confirmed how large a step had been made in delivering what Hulkenberg says the suggestions had been all season, specifically “make it quick, make it driveable, constant, snug”.
Delivering on that’s what actually made the distinction, yielding a much bigger efficiency achieve than anticipated for Sauber. The downforce produced by the automotive with the Spain package deal was greater, however the enchancment in tempo was compounded by the drivers with the ability to assault. Add to that additional iterations of the ground launched in Austria and Britain, making this what the workforce calls a three-step improve, and you’ll see why Sauber has turn out to be a lot stronger. Qualifying performances have improved considerably, however race tempo is markedly higher significantly on excessive gas hundreds. This has helped the drivers make positive factors even in races the place qualifying hasn’t gone nicely.
“The upgrades have introduced a broad spectrum of efficiency,” stated Wheatley after the Hungarian Grand Prix, the place Bortoleto completed sixth on advantage. “It does seem to be we’re in a position to comply with somewhat bit nearer than another groups, however the drivers simply appear very snug with the automotive on totally different tire compounds and throughout totally different circuits. It’s very encouraging.”
The results of these enhancements is a haul of 45 factors that places it seventh within the constructors’ championship and firmly in rivalry for fifth, given Williams is just 9 factors forward. Key to that complete are the 15 factors Hulkenberg took for third at Silverstone, the workforce’s first podium end since Kamui Kobayashi within the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix. Because the grizzled veteran, as soon as left on the F1 scrapheap however returning to take a long-awaited ‘victory’ (nicely, third place), Hulkenberg’s 2025 story has a contact of the Brad Pitt character in F1: The Film, Sonny Hayes – and it’s definitely a redemption story in that regard. He’s even acquired the younger hotshot teammate too, though Bortoleto’s season has been spectacular from the beginning.
Now comes the actual problem for Sauber, as a result of that is removed from the tip of the story. Audi’s said goal of difficult for victories and world championships by the tip of the last decade is an formidable one, and recovering from a diabolical begin to obtain midfield respectability is a drop within the ocean in comparison with what must be accomplished to realize that. There’s nonetheless an unlimited quantity of recruitment, restructuring and constructing to do, however what’s encouraging is that technically a breakthrough has been made. To introduce one package deal that improves issues is a optimistic, however the truth positive factors have been repeated with additional developments is vital. Expectations are due to this fact greater internally for the principles reset in 2026, which is able to enable the primary genuinely clean-sheet of paper designed beneath the management management of Mattia Binotto, who joined final yr with the joint titles of chief working officer and chief technical officer.
That is the place the real-world story deviates from the flicks. There are not any shortcuts in F1 and there’s nonetheless a protracted strategy to go for this workforce because it approaches its metamorphosis into Audi, however the enchancment in instruments, the expansion in know-how, is definitive proof that progress is being made though there was nothing to point out for it just some quick months in the past. It’s not a lot within the grand scheme of issues, nevertheless it’s a begin – one which simply may, a few years down the road, even result in the proper Hollywood ending for Sauber.
