As the final day of testing came to a close, Sauber felt that their pre-season testing had been ‘productive’ despite signs that the struggles of 2024 may persist. With the grid looking as close, if not closer, in 2025 than 2024, every step of progress will be vital. Sauber found themselves dead last in 2024 with a measly four points by the end of the year.
At the end of the third day of testing, Sauber found themselves in 14th and 17th. Although, as always with testing, it is hard to grasp to what extent the results are representative. Regardless, as they enter their final year as the Stake F1 team, ahead of their looming transition to Audi, Sauber are hoping to end their F1 tenure on a high.
Initial feelings
James Key, the Sauber technical director, admitted that the testing sessions have given the team an important foundation for the season opener.
He said, “Overall, it has been a productive pre-season test, which allowed us to gather useful data that will serve as a foundation heading into the first race of the season in two weeks. We have managed to cover everything we had planned over these three days, while gaining a lot of valuable insights.”
Over the three days, the drivers put in over 350 laps with the only major slip-up being a hydraulic leak that Gabriel Bortoleto faced when he got in the car for his final stint. That issue, however, was quickly fixed and the team managed to make the most of the session.
Key also claimed that the lap times Sauber produced were not representative of the team’s expected track performance in competition.
He explained, “As always in testing, lap times haven’t been our focus, as each team followed its own priorities and checklists, so we’ll have to wait until Melbourne to get a clearer picture of the competition. Still, it’s safe to say we delivered a decent, consistent performance and we will look to keep moving forward as the season unfolds.”
Driver’s thoughts
There have been some concerns over the drivers’ comfort in the C45 with Hülkenberg looking frustrated after getting out of the car and Bortoleto seemingly unsettled while behind the wheel. Despite this, however, the duo painted their pre-season experience positively.
Hülkenberg said, “We got a decent first feel for it, and there is definitely still more to discover as we keep refining things.
He did, however, choose to keep his cards close to his chest when asked about the potential of the C45. He said, “Now, we’ll go through all the information and make sure we get to Melbourne with the best possible package for the first race.”
Bortoleto mirrored his teammate’s thoughts, explaining “It’s been a solid three days of testing – I got to learn a lot about the car and the team, and overall, it’s been productive for all of us. Now, we’ll use the next two weeks to go over the details and fine-tune, to understand what worked well and see in which areas we can improve.”
With not long left till Australia, it will soon quickly become clear where Sauber will fall in the order, at least in the early races.
