Jonathan Wheatley details how Sauber has ‘over-performed’
Jonathan Wheatley has revealed how Sauber has 'over-performed' in recent races.
Sauber boss Jonathan Wheatley believes his team has “over-performed” at points during the opening 14 rounds of the F1 2025 season.
The Swiss-based squad sits seventh in the Constructors’ Championship with 51 points, more than 12 times its total throughout all of last season.
Sauber rises to ‘best of the rest’
Sauber is currently on a run of six consecutive points finishes, headlined by Nico Hulkenberg’s drought-shattering podium at the British Grand Prix.
The German veteran has rocketed up to ninth in the Drivers’ Championship while Gabriel Bortoleto has begun to come into his own.
That young Brazilian’s improvement coincided with upgrades introduced for the Austrian Grand Prix, where last year’s F2 champion finished eighth to claim his first F1 points finish.
According to the car presentation submissions Sauber made with the FIA that weekend, it introduced a new floor and rear wing, both designed to increase load.
There was a package in Spain too, two events prior, that saw an earlier iteration of the floor in addition to a revised engine cover and front wing.
Hulkenberg delivered a then-season-best fifth place in Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, kick-starting Sauber’s current run.
“The upgrades have brought a broad spectrum of performance,” reasoned Wheatley to media, including PlanetF1.com.
“It does seem like we’re able to follow a little bit closer than maybe some other teams, but also the drivers just seem very comfortable with it on different tyre compounds and across different circuits up ‘til now.”
The upturn has seen Sauber climb from the foot of the Constructors’ Championship, where it languished following the Monaco Grand Prix.
Across the last six races, it has added 45 points, making it the most prolific team outside of the top four.
It’s a sharp turnaround after the team managed just a single points finish up to the Spanish GP weekend.
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“If you look back to Bahrain testing, we were in major trouble and things were looking very grim,” admitted Hulkenberg.
“It started off pretty difficult and then, since Barcelona, we’ve been in the points six times as a team. We had a couple of big highlights. Gabby [in Hungary] as well, stellar drive, fighting with the Astons.
“Six times points on six very different tracks, so I think that’s testament to the good updates, to the work the team has put in, and very encouraging.”
It’s a view shared by Wheatley, who joined Sauber in April following an 18-year career at Red Bull.
“We’ve, at times, I think we’ve over-performed on where we thought we would [be],” he said. “It’s very encouraging, and it’s encouraging to build this momentum up.”
The Hinwil-based operation is in the final year of its current guise, and will transform into the Audi factory team next season.
Both Hulkenberg and Bortoleto are contracted to remain with the squad through that rebrand, which will also see the German marque become a power unit manufacturer.
To date, Sauber has used Ferrari power since splitting with former partner (and owner) BMW in 2010.
Having initially taken a $450 million stake in the business in 2023, Audi acquired complete ownership in early 2025.
However, upon doing so, it shed a 30 per cent slice to Qatar Investment Authority for an estimated figure of $300 million.
QIA has a long association with the Volkswagen Group, its 17 per cent interest making it the third-largest shareholder in Audi’s parent company.
