2025 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix Highlights

KICK Sauber F1 Team closed out the European triple header with a positive, points-scoring weekend at the 2025 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, making clear progress and recording the team’s best result in three years, thanks to the recent upgrade package as well as a well-executed strategy for both cars.

Nico Hulkenberg finished fifth, while Gabriel Bortoleto showed encouraging pace throughout the race, eventually just missing out on his first points in the final laps. It was a solid performance for the team, reflecting the work done in recent weeks, both on the track and back at base in Hinwil.

Nico Hulkenberg, Driver, Kick Sauber F1 Team

Right from the beginning, we were in the mix — a strong start, a clean first lap, and we were immediately able to fight for points. Ironically, not having the best Saturday and saving a set of softs gave us a strategic edge with the tyre allocation. The Safety Car mixed things up a bit, and having those fresh compounds turned out to be a golden ticket. There was a significant delta between used and new tyres today, so that paid off.

The car felt good all weekend, and the updates gave us a step forward in performance — we had a strong pace throughout the race. Credit to the entire team, both at the factory and on the track, for their hard work on the upgrades. I didn’t quite maximise things yesterday — it was disappointing to underdeliver, and I was frustrated with myself. But that anger gave me an extra push today. It’s satisfying to bounce back like this and bring home 10 points. That’s what matters in the end: a significant result for us.

Gabriel Bortoleto, Driver, Kick Sauber F1 Team

First things first, congratulations to Nico and the team. This result is a testament to how well the upgrades have worked, and seeing the car’s potential today has been truly inspiring, making me even more motivated to work towards my first points. From my side, I think it has been a solid race. We took everything we had in our hands and made the most of it. The team did an excellent job with the strategy today. The Safety Car didn’t swing our way, but that’s part of racing. What stands out is the pace we showed — it was strong, and the upgrades were a big step forward for both of us. It’s been a triple header full of learnings and positive momentum. We’re heading in the right direction, and now it’s back to work as we prepare to hit the ground running in Montreal in two weeks.

Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal, Kick Sauber F1 Team

Today was an outstanding performance for the team and for everyone back at the factory who worked so hard to deliver the upgrades. We opted for a soft-to-medium-soft strategy before the race, and that’s what we delivered against. Both cars had good starts, and the car’s pace was strong during the race. As a team, we made some excellent strategy calls, resulting in an outstanding performance all around. I would like to single out and congratulate the pit crew who worked tirelessly throughout the race, including an exceptional 2.1-second pit stop.

Looking at Nico’s race, he had a great opening lap, with us opting for an early first stop to cover Bearman. We boxed under the safety car for a new set of softs, capitalising on that with a great overtake on Hamilton. Nico finishing P5 was not only a great result, but it was also our highest finish since the Imola 2022 race.

As for Gabriel, we boxed him on lap 13 to put him on the mediums, looking at a potential one-stop. We took an aggressive strategy, looking for points for Gabriel, but unfortunately, that risk didn’t pay off. So, in the end, we boxed him under the safety car for a new set of softs, and he had a strong pace until the end of the race. It feels great to finish the European triple-header on such a high, securing valuable points and reflecting the hard work across the entire race and factory team.

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