2025 Belgian Grand Prix – Saturday

Spa-Francorchamps, 26 July 2025 – KICK Sauber F1 Team claimed a place in Q3 on a busy Saturday in Spa, courtesy of Gabriel Bortoleto’s performance in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix. The team enjoyed a strong afternoon, with Gabriel setting the tenth fastest time of the session and team-mate, Nico Hulkenberg, making it two C45s in Q2 – the first time this season - on the way to P14.

Earlier in the day, in the Sprint race, the Brazilian rookie just missed out on a point, finishing a solid P9, while Nico got stuck in a train of cars in a session that saw relatively little action, finishing in P18.

The team’s robust performance gives promise of an interesting Sunday: with race pace a stronger suit for the team, the fight will be on to bring home some points as action resume on this iconic circuit.

Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal:

“The day started with the 15-lap sprint, which turned out to be a largely uneventful race overall. Unfortunately for Nico, the race did not go the way we hoped, first struggling to balance the car and, secondly, due to a combination of being overtaken and then sitting in traffic. For Gabi, he once again executed a very mature drive, starting in P10 and finishing in P9.

“The team then regrouped for qualifying and what proved to be a dramatic session here in Spa. Gabi originally qualified in P16, just 0.024 seconds off progressing into Q2. However, Hamilton’s time was then deleted and Gabi found himself through to the second period of qualifying where he did a great lap, qualified P9, and put himself into Q3 for the second time this season. By Q3 we had run out of new tyres and, after two runs, he ended up qualifying in P10 for the race. It was great to see the garage busy throughout qualifying and Gabi’s P10 marked Sauber’s highest starting position at Spa in a decade.

Nico, on the other hand, started off with damage in the pit lane following the incident with Stroll, which meant we had to change the nose of the car. Solid runs in Q1 got Nico into Q2 and ultimately a starting position of P14, just two tenths off getting into Q3. Sprint weekends are always a test of team endurance and once again we came together, enabling both cars to be in Q2 for the first time this season. The energy in the team is great going into Sunday and, with two good starting positions secured, we are ready for whatever surprises Spa might throw at us.”

Nico Hulkenberg (car number 27):
Sprint: 18th

Fastest lap: 1:47.575 (Lap 8)
Strategy and Pit Stops: Medium New

Q1: 1:41.844 (8 laps)

Q2: 14th / 1:41.707 (6 laps)

“Qualifying didn’t quite go our way today – I was lacking a bit too much on the straights, and without a proper tow, we left a couple of tenths on the table, which made the difference in the end. On the positive side, the car felt much better today compared to Friday. We already made a step forward in the Sprint this morning, which gave me more confidence heading into qualifying. Sprint weekends are always a bit of a challenge – limited track time, and if you're out early in SQ1, you miss out on valuable laps. We approached the Sprint more like an extended practice session: with the data we gathered we made solid progress and I found a better rhythm on this particular track layout. In terms of setup, we also factored in the possibility of rain tomorrow – probably like everyone else. Now let’s see what the race brings.”

Gabriel Bortoleto (car number 5):
Sprint: 9th

Fastest lap: 1:47.086 (Lap 2)
Strategy and Pit Stops: Medium New

Q1: 1:41.908 (6 laps)

Q2: 1:41.336 (6 laps)

Q3: 10th / 1:42.387 (6 laps)

"I am happy to have made it back into Q3! I think it's safe to say sometimes you do need a little bit of luck in this sport, and today it was my turn: Hamilton's lap got deleted, and that allowed me to make it into Q2. I hadn't given my best in Q1 – I was honestly pretty frustrated about it – and I knew I had to reset and focus on improving in Q2, giving everything I had: I am glad it worked out. Looking back at this morning, it was a rather uneventful Sprint from my end, although it still allowed me to get some more track time. Sprint weekends can pose some extra challenges, but also a chance to learn something more, too. Overall, I am feeling more comfortable in the car every weekend: I would like to thank the team – both trackside and back home in Hinwil - for this. Looking at tomorrow – rain or dry – we’ll be ready and give it our best."