Can Kick Sauber’s 2025 bring more hope than 2024?

Kick Sauber’s first year under their current identity won’t live long in the memory of those at the Hinwil-based team. While the striking green livery was an eye-catching sight in 2024, their results were not. Zhou Guanyu’s four points in Qatar saved them from recording a point-less year, but it didn’t save them from finishing bottom of the Constructors’ Championship. With new management in place – and Audi’s 2026 arrival moving ever closer – can 2025 bring the team added hope for the years ahead? Here’s all you need to know about the squad ahead of the new campaign…

Drivers for 2025

Nico Hulkenberg #27: 1 pole position, 571 points, 230 starts
Gabriel Bortoleto #5: Rookie season

It’s all change on the driver line-up front for Sauber with last season’s combination of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou exiting in favour of veteran Nico Hulkenberg and exciting rookie Gabriel Bortoleto.

Hulkenberg needs little introduction to F1 fans, with the German arguably one of the strongest performing drivers since he was handed a lifeline by Haas in 2023 after three seasons without a permanent seat on the grid. Following two years with the American-based squad, the 37-year-old is preparing for the next chapter of his career with a team he previously turned out for back in 2013.

Nico Hulkenberg will be driving for Kick Sauber following a two-season stint with Haas

F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto is preparing for his rookie campaign in F1

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Nico Hulkenberg will be driving for Kick Sauber following a two-season stint with Haas

Alongside Hulkenberg’s experience, Sauber can also call upon the thrilling promise of Brazilian Bortoleto. The 20-year-old has quite the list of accolades to his name already, having won the 2024 Formula 2 championship and the 2023 Formula 3 championship before that.

Last season’s heroics meant he became just the fourth champion in the F2 era to win the F2 and F3 titles in successive years – following current F1 stars Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Oscar Piastri. That’s not a bad list of drivers to already be associated with.

Last season

Sauber’s 2024 season was, in a word, challenging. Other similar descriptions have also been offered – former driver Zhou called it “draining” while Chief Operating and Chief Technical Officer Mattia Binotto had said the team was in “survival mode”.

While the squad did at least avoid a point-less campaign thanks to Zhou’s four points in the penultimate race of the year, 2024 certainly won’t live long in the memory for those at the team as they finished dead last in the Constructors’ Championship.

Indeed, much of the news around Sauber last year was dominated by personnel changes with the aforementioned Binotto – previously Ferrari Team Principal from 2019-2022 – joining in August, following on from the exits of former CEO Andreas Seidl and Audi executive Oliver Hoffmann.

It was also announced that now former Red Bull Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley will become Team Principal, with a start date yet to be confirmed.

Mattia Binotto is the Managing Director of Sauber Motorsport during the Formula 1 Pirelli United — Mattia Binotto joined Kick Sauber in 2024 as Chief Operating and Chief Technical Officer

History

Sauber Motorsport was formed back in 1970 by Peter Sauber and first made their way onto the F1 grid in 1993, following stints in hillclimbing and endurance racing – which included becoming Mercedes-Benz’s works team and winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

From that debut F1 season until 2005, the squad raced under the Sauber name before German manufacturer BMW acquired a major shareholding stake in the team – with the outfit then known as BMW Sauber – before they reverted to Sauber from 2011 to 2018.

The team would then become known as Alfa Romeo following the signing of a multi-year partnership with the Italian car manufacturer, a guise which came to an end following the conclusion of the 2023 F1 season.

From last year the squad was rebranded as Kick Sauber, an identity that continues in 2025, ahead of the Audi takeover in 2026 which will see the team become the automotive giant’s works outfit.

The origins of Sauber F1 Team

Greatest Achievement

Sauber’s BMW era brought an upturn in form and fortunes – they’d finished eighth in the Constructors’ Championship in 2005, which became fifth and then second in the years that followed.

While the team had plenty of podiums to celebrate, in 2008 there came a breakthrough victory – and a one-two result – at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix as Robert Kubica led home team mate Nick Heidfeld.

IN HIS OWN WORDS: Kubica on his '08 Canadian GP win

Despite hopes for a championship tilt, with Kubica leading the Drivers’ Standings after that win in Montreal, their challenge ultimately faded away with resources soon diverted to the 2009 rules reset.

Robert Kubica (POL) BMW Sauber F1 celebrates his first GP win on the podium. Formula One World — Robert Kubica secured victory for BMW Sauber at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix

One key goal for 2025

While plenty of eyes may be firmly fixed on Audi’s 2026 arrival, Sauber still need to show signs of progress in 2025 as Binotto leads a sizeable transformation.

The Italian has gone as far as to say that “a lot needs to be done” to alter the squad’s mindset and develop a “winning mindset”, but one simple – yet key – goal this year has to be scoring more points on track than the four they managed all of last season.

Too often the cars were languishing in no man’s land without a hope of a top-10 finish, and the all-new pairing of Hulkenberg and Bortoleto won’t want to be in that position as they bed into their new surroundings.

No one is expecting a dramatic turnaround for 2025, but every step in the right direction puts Sauber in a more positive place before Audi’s arrival.