TECH WEEKLY: Why Kick Sauber are performing much better than their pre-season testing form suggested

Sauber’s performance in the opening two races of the 2025 season was significantly better than pre-season testing had suggested, when the new C45 had looked the slowest car. Nico Hulkenberg took seventh place points in Melbourne and qualified 12th for the Chinese Grand Prix, while Gabriel Bortoleto made Q2 in Melbourne and SQ2 in China Sprint Qualifying.

The Sauber is evidently better than Bahrain testing had made it look. The reason for the underwhelming competitiveness there became clear in Melbourne as the team showed up with a new front wing and sidepod. Suddenly the car was behaving in a much more predictable way.