The Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber driver, Nico Hülkenberg, shared his thoughts at the Media Day in Saudi Arabia last week. The German driver touched upon the performance of the C45, the competitiveness in the 2025 season, and his teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto.
The car’s struggle with the traffic will be worked on
Hülkenberg provided insights on the C45’s struggle with the traffic on race days and how the situation is compared to the previous year. Though a comparison would be difficult to make, he acknowledged the struggle they have been facing with the car.
Getting caught in traffic and being affected by dirty air is never ideal for any driver in any team. According to Hülkenberg, the team is currently working to address the issue hereby improve their weekend results.
“It’s always year on year. It’s difficult to cross-reference and compare, but we’re definitely struggling in traffic.
“I mean, every race car, Formula 1 car is not happy in traffic and is affected by dirty air, but I still believe there are different levels of how much you lose.
“I think it’s definitely something that we’re looking into and need to work on.”
How you continue is more important
The 2025 season started with a dominant McLaren duo, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and a promising Mercedes. A fight to catch the front row by mid-season between Red Bull and Ferrari is also present. Nevertheless, the rest of the grid is more competitive as well compared to the previous seasons, where things were more stagnant and less fierce.
In Kick Sauber’s case, the team scored 4 points in total throughout the 2024 season and came last in the team standings. However, in only five races, they have already secured 6 points in 2025. Hülkenberg remarked that though there is clear progress within each team of the grid, the statistics change every year.
He highlighted how the teams start the season eventually take its own dynamism as the year progresses. Hülkenberg emphasized how they cope with the problems on their way or continue the successful dynamic they caught is more important than how it all starts at the beginning.
“I think that number and that statistic change year on year. Sometimes you hit a good start of the season, sometimes you hit a poor one. It just takes its own dynamic, obviously, once you start the season.
“But important is obviously how you continue and that you improve year on year.”
Bortoleto will have a long and successful F1 career
Compared to the other rookies on the grid, Kick Sauber’s other half, Gabriel Bortoleto, has been experiencing a relatively unfortunate first F1 season. Though he hasn’t scored any points in five races, his teammate praised the youngster for being a strong driver.
Hülkenberg acknowledged that it is hard to survive in the current competitive environment. However, the German driver also said that Bortoleto is a fast learner who previously showed what he is capable of in the junior series. Therefore, Hülkenberg is certain that the F1 world will witness Bortoleto’s successful performance for many years to come.
“I think he’s a very nice guy, first of all. He’s a strong driver, learns really fast.
“He’s proved in the last couple of years how good he is in the junior series. He’s continuing to show that now.
“Obviously it’s not so easy in the current environment in Formula 1, in the midfield where we are. But what I see on the data and hear him talk, he’s impressive.
“I think he will have a long and successful Formula 1 career.”
