Despite such a good start to the season for Nico Hülkenberg and Sauber in the unpredictable conditions in Australia, the second race at the F1 Chinese GP had its own challenges.
The 2025 season has started well for Sauber, with Hülkenberg collecting more points for the team in the season opener alone than the team’s total in the 24 races of the previous season.
While the German driver impressed with a Q2 appearance in qualifying for the race, neither Sauber drivers managed to score points in the sprint or race.
A trip into the gravel
Hülkenberg gave a good qualifying performance at the Chinese GP, starting the race in 12th. However, an early incident causing him to go off track in the first lap lost him positions. He reflected on the incident that lost him seven places as he ended up in the gravel out of turn 4.
“I lost the car, or lost the rear very aggressively exiting turn three, I was alongside with an Aston but my rear just completely gave up very aggressively. I went wide off of the track, bounced through the gravel and came back in P last.”
His trip in the gravel also caused floor damage, making the rest of his race even more difficult.
“I think we picked up quite a bit of damage, at least that’s what the team said, on the floor. Car was missing some downforce and difficult to drive, obviously difficult to manage the tyres that way.”
A challenge for both Sauber drivers
Both Sauber drivers finished the weekend without any points. Hülkenberg’s teammate Gabriel Bortoleto only qualified in P19 and had a similar incident going off track early in the race as he spun off on the opening lap trying to pass Doohan. Bortoleto’s spin meant that he had to change his tyres, putting him well off the back.
Reflecting on the Sauber car overall, Hülkenberg spoke on his rookie teammate’s performance and experience of driving the car.
“He had also some problem. I don’t know exactly what, but I think our car is probably not the easiest to drive, to handle in traffic.”
Is the dirty air to blame?
It is a well-known fact that Formula One cars prefer driving in clean air rather than following close behind others. This often makes close racing difficult, especially for drivers towards the back of the field.
When asked if this was the reason for his struggles at the Chinese GP, Hülkenberg dismissed this. The dry conditions were very different to the unpredictable wet weather in Australia as the drivers are still getting used to their new cars.
“I know there’s dirty air, it’s not my first race but obviously it’s the first race with this car in dry conditions. Australia was different, obviously, with inters and the conditions.”
Hülkenberg explained that his issues with the car’s handling were unexpected as he gets used to his new car.
“I guess something to take away from that, it really caught me by surprise. Also the way it snapped, that was pretty spectacular. So still learning the car and still exploring stuff.”
Hopeful despite a tough weekend
Hülkenberg ended the Chinese GP in 18th, finishing behind his teammate. The German driver was bumped up to 15th following the disqualifications of Leclerc, Hamilton and Gasly, who were all disqualified due to after the race due to technical infringements.
Despite ending in second to last of the finishers, Hülkenberg was glad to drive laps in his new team’s car. In particular, he seemed positive regarding the feedback he was receiving from the team about his pace relative to the rest of the midfield.
“I don’t know the full picture of the race now, the team was giving me a few updates here and there relative to Albon, who was on a one-stop too. They say it was comparable at that point.
“Given we had quite a lot of aero damage, that sounded encouraging, at least at the time. But I need to see some more data. But anyway, good to get the mileage in, still learning and discovering things.”
