As the 2025 Formula One season progressed, Sauber has been slowly climbing up the ranks. Race by race, they rose higher in the order. By the time the ongoing summer break began, the team managed to reach P7 in the constructors’ standings. They are currently only one point behind Aston Martin and less than 20 points behind Williams. How did they get here?
For those who just recently began watching Formula One, it may seem like Sauber is, and has always been, a midfield team. While it is true that they have seen various successes over the years, the past seasons have not shown them in the best light. Perhaps the best example is the 2024 season.
Sauber’s lineup was different from what it is now. Nico Hulkenberg was driving for Haas, and Gabriel Bortoleto was still competing in the Formula Two championship. The two drivers who sat behind the wheel of the team in question were Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. This year, neither of them is a full-time Formula One driver, but both have reserve roles with Mercedes and Ferrari, respectively.
While both Bottas and Zhou had their good moments throughout the 2024 season, their time in Sauber wasn’t too kind to them. The team had only managed to score four points throughout 24 Grand Prix, all of which came from the same race. Zhou added them to the team’s tally after the race held in Qatar. Bottas finished the season with no points.
Due to Sauber’s unsatisfactory showing in 2024, it was safe to say that, by the time 2025 came around, expectations weren’t high. Their lineup had changed completely, with Hulkenberg and Bortoleto taking over for Bottas and Zhou. Still, even with the new drivers, it was hard to imagine that the team could dig itself out from the hole it had fallen into.
While the very first Grand Prix did see Hulkenberg scoring six points, the good streak did not last for long. After the high start, the team went seven races without adding anything to their tally. Throughout the unpleasant months, they had also seen two DNFs (did not finish) and one DSQ (disqualified). For all Sauber fans, the season ahead did not look all too promising.
The breakthrough came in Spain. It was there that Hulkenberg finished fifth, giving Sauber ten additional points. It was a great moment for the team that desperately needed some hope in the trying season. What they didn’t know back then was that they would go on to score in every single Grand Prix until the beginning of the summer break.
Hulkenberg scored again in Canada, and both Sauber drivers snagged some points in Austria. Then came Silverstone, the Grand Prix that changed it all. The German began the race from P19 after a terrible Saturday. No one saw him as any threat at all. The Grand Prix was filled with rain and safety cars, which meant that well-executed strategy could drastically change a driver’s day. That was exactly what happened to Hulkenberg. Before anyone realized what was happening, he had already climbed to a podium-scoring P3.
The Silverstone Grand Prix was Sauber’s biggest point boost, with 15 added to the 26 they had already had. The team went on to score ten more points in the last two races before the summer break. This put their total at 51 points, an incredible result for a team that had managed only four the prior season.
2025 is a great time to be a Sauber fan. As mentioned at the beginning, the team is currently seventh in the constructors’ standings. If they continue on the path they have found themselves on, they might rise to P6, or even P5. Nothing is out of the realm of possibility given their promising trajectory.
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