2025 Bahrain Grand Prix – Sunday

Sakhir, 13 April 2025 – Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber fought through a demanding Bahrain Grand Prix, on a day where tyre management and race strategy played a key role, and which saw the team working through different approaches across the two cars. Nico stayed consistent throughout and ultimately finished in fifteenth place, which then got converted to P13 thanks to penalties handed to drivers in front. Gabriel, on the other hand, showed good fighting spirit but ultimately struggled with grip and car balance, which limited his chances to move forward in the tight pack.

Despite a challenging weekend, the team gathered important data the C45’s performance, providing clear indications for further development. The focus now shifts on the third and final leg of the Asian triple header, which will take place in Saudi Arabia in a week’s time.

Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal: "Today was a long afternoon on the pit wall. We tried different strategies and compounds, but none of them seemed to provide Gabriel with the pace advantage we needed to get through traffic. Nico, on the other hand, delivered a very consistent race – despite a collision – and with a few penalties for competitors ahead of him, he managed to secure a P13 finish. While ending the race close to the points, we also recognise the factors that led to this outcome. Now, it’s time to regroup, refocus, and analyse the weekend to uncover any untapped performance."

Nico Hulkenberg (car number 27):
Race result: 13th
Fastest lap: 1:37.338 (Lap 30)
Strategy & Pit Stops: Start (New Soft) – Lap 5 (New Medium) – Lap 27 (New Medium)

"It has been a difficult weekend, overall, and tonight was not different. The start wasn't the best – I was on the inside for turn one but then got pushed wide in turn two and lost all my drive heading down to turn four. I ended up last by the time we arrived there, which obviously made things not easier, especially as we were starting on the soft tyre. We pitted early and aggressively, which meant running two very long stints: getting something out of this race was always going to be a long shot after that. This track really exposed some of our car’s weaknesses, so there are important lessons to learn. Over one lap, I think we’re pretty decent if we get everything together, but our long-run pace needs improvement.”

Gabriel Bortoleto (car number 5):
Race result: 19th
Fastest lap: 1:38.006 (Lap 38)
Strategy & Pit Stops: Start (New Medium) – Lap 13 (New Hard) – Lap 32 (New Medium)

"It's been a tough afternoon, but we did see some improvements in pace at times. Overtaking was definitely a challenge – as soon as I got close to the car ahead, I just couldn’t find the grip to make a move, especially through the corners. It's obviously frustrating, especially after the Safety Car restart when I was on mediums against the hard tyres of the car in front but still couldn’t find a way through. Overall, it’s crucial to take time to analyse everything and understand how we can improve our performance. In the short term, the goal is to move on from a challenging weekend, take the learnings with us, and focus on Jeddah to finish off this triple header."

Update 21:16 AST (GMT +3)

Following the FIA Post-Race scrutineering checks, Nico's car was found not to conform with the regulations, with a skid plank wear in excess of the limit set by the rules. As a result, Nico was disqualified from the Bahrain Grand Prix. We will take the necessary learnings from this situation and conduct a thorough internal review.