Sauber frustrated by 'lack of pace' as rivals score big points

Sauber missed chances, lacked pace in Zandvoort

Few predicted Sauber would be much more than a footnote in 2025 when the season kicked off in Australia.

Although Hulkenberg managed to cut through the chaos and finish 7th in Melbourne, this was in spite of Sauber’s lack of pace.

The Swiss team were consistently at the back when the year began, unable to fight for points for merit.

Given that Sauber only achieved four points last season, the general expectations heading into 2025 were relatively low anyway.

Thankfully for the Swiss outfit, a series of updates have changed their fortunes.

A steady stream of updates to the C45 propelled the team into regular points contention.

With the relentlessly consistent Nico Hulkenberg and promising Gabriel Bortoleto behind the wheel, this made Sauber a genuine threat.

Last weekend, however, the team’s ambitious goals for the constructors title were dealt a serious blow.

Whilst Aston Martin (10 points), Racing Bulls (15 points), Williams (10 points) and Haas (9 points) all capitalised on an unpredictable Grand Prix, Sauber missed out.

Reflecting on Sauber’s weekend, Jonathan Wheatley gave his analysis:

“It has been a very frustrating day at the end of a challenging day in Zandvoort.

“When it comes to both drivers’ races, there were missed opportunities and an overall lack of pace.

“Gabi had a poor start, something we will need to investigate thoroughly.

“He also sustained bodywork damage early on from a contract with Colapinto, hampering his performance significantly.

“Nico, by contract had a good start but missed out under every Safety Car..

“But we just didn’t have the pace to stay ahead of our rivals.”

Race to race variations in the midfield

The competitive nature of F1’s midfield is often discussed, especially given some of the surprises that have emerged in 2025.

As Hulkenberg and now Isack Hadjar have demonstrated, podium finishes are no longer exclusive to the front-runners.

Whilst top teams still enjoy an advantage on race day, low-fuel conditions in qualifying level the playing field and often generate shock eliminations.

Even after a poor Saturday, midfield outfits are more than capable of recovering.

Haas exemplify this better than anyone, pulling off an audacious one-stop strategy in Zandvoort to score points with both drivers.

Bearman’s result, going from the pit-lane to P6, is one of many that Haas have secured with ingenuity and bravery from the pit-wall.

At the same time, the fact both Haas cars were eliminated demonstrates how fierce their competition is.

As the likes of Ferrari were reminded last weekend, such fine margins put additional important on optimising and fine-tuning set-up.

For Sauber, last weekend’s result pushes them down one position in the constructors standings.

In the aftermath of their first pointless weekend since Monaco, Jonathan Wheatley will be eager to see both Hulkenberg and Bortoleto return to the top 10.