2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Saturday

Jeddah, 19 April 2025 – Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber will line up 18th and 20th on the grid for Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, following a challenging and unfortunate qualifying session at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

Nico Hulkenberg appeared on course for a place in Q2, but a front-left lock-up under braking into Turn 1 during his final run in Q1 prevented him from improving his time, dropping him from P14 to P18 in the closing moments of the session. Teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, endured an equally tough qualifying: after collecting a plastic bag on his second run – which forced an unscheduled stop – he spun at Turn 1 during his final push lap while attempting to maximise a tow.

With Jeddah known for its unpredictable races and frequent Safety Cars, the team will now shift focus to race strategy, aiming to take full advantage of any opportunities that may arise on Sunday.
 

Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal: "Ultimately, we’re a little frustrated with the qualifying session today as we were confident to make it through to Q2. Both drivers suffered issues at Turn 1, with Nico not getting the bite out of the brakes he expected and running off at Turn 2, while Gabriel was carrying significant speed from a tow and ultimately lost the car at Turn 2. In addition, due to the issue of him missing FP2 yesterday, Gabriel did not accumulate the laps you need to get a clean run on a demanding street circuit like Jeddah. So, we rebuild, get stronger, learn from what happened and get ready to challenge tomorrow. Last but not least, I would like to thank the team for the huge work required to get Gabriel’s car ready for FP3 and Qualifying today, following the fuel leak that forced us to change the monocoque."

Nico Hulkenberg (car number 27):
FP3: 17th / 1:29.220 (16 laps)
Q1: 18th / 1:28.782 (8 laps)

“That wasn’t the qualifying we had hoped for. I locked up the front wheel and ran wide at Turn 1 during my final run in Q1. I truly believe we had the potential to make it into Q2. The margins are so fine that everything has to come together perfectly every time. We’ll need to analyse exactly what happened, as the lock-up felt a bit unusual. I even braked slightly earlier because I sensed the front tyres weren’t as ready as they had been on the previous run. Even then, I didn’t get the bite or deceleration from the brakes that I expected. The starting position is, obviously, not ideal, but we’ll take on the challenge and do our best to make the most of it tomorrow. We’ll need a bit of action ahead of us and a smart strategy to move forward.”

Gabriel Bortoleto (car number 5):

FP3: 19th / 1:29.410 (24 laps)
Q1: 20th / 1:29.462 (8 laps)
 

“First of all, I want to thank the team for their hard work in changing the chassis and getting the car ready in time for today. Unfortunately, it was a frustrating qualifying session for me. After a decent first push lap, I wasn’t able to put together a clean run. On my second attempt, I picked up a plastic bag, which forced me to pit so it could be removed. Then on the third attempt, I got a bit too optimistic with the tow from Max [Verstappen], missed the braking point, and ended up spinning. We’re always pushing to the limit, doing everything we can to reach Q2, but I made a mistake, and it didn’t work out today. Missing FP2 and the long runs yesterday definitely didn’t help and tomorrow will likely be a challenging race – but we’ll give it everything and try to learn as much as we can about the car’s behaviour.”