In the last five races of the 2025 Formula 1 season, the Sauber team has scored an impressive total of 35 points—more than any other team competing in the highly competitive midfield group. This remarkable achievement was highlighted by Nico Hülkenberg’s podium finish at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. The resurgence is the direct result of a carefully crafted technical upgrade package which exceeded even the expectations of the team itself. In particular, the introduction of a new floor concept at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona paved the way for a series of further, unplanned developments that have proven surprisingly effective.
Since the Spanish Grand Prix, Sauber has made a definitive step forward—not just in terms of championship standings, where the team now holds sixth place—but also in terms of pure on-track performance. Perhaps the most encouraging sign is that this performance leap has been consistent, with Sauber scoring points in every race since the major upgrade was introduced, showing genuine progress and competitiveness across a variety of circuits.
Before the breakthrough in Barcelona, Sauber had managed to finish inside the top 10 only once in the opening phase of the season—back in Australia, where Nico Hülkenberg secured a solid seventh-place result. However, that performance was largely attributed to a flawless race strategy and the German driver’s skill, rather than to the inherent competitiveness of the C45 car. At the time, the Sauber car was plagued by persistent understeer, poor balance, and a high sensitivity to turbulent air when following other cars closely.
The turning point came with the new updates introduced at Barcelona and beyond, which effectively marked a new chapter for the Hinwil-based team. Rather than bringing a single, comprehensive upgrade, Sauber opted for a multi-phase approach—similar to the strategy frequently used by McLaren—spreading the components across three consecutive race weekends.
Three-phase upgrade plan improves drivability and balance
The first stage of this performance transformation occurred in Spain, where Sauber debuted a completely redesigned floor—an element that is critically important in the current era of ground-effect Formula 1 cars. The package also included a revised front wing and updated engine cover. In the following round in Austria, the team introduced further refinements to the floor and diffuser, alongside a rear wing tailored to the specific demands of the Red Bull Ring.
Finally, at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone—where Nico Hülkenberg achieved his first podium finish since returning to full-time F1 racing—Sauber implemented another update to the front section of the floor and once again adapted the rear wing to suit the characteristics of the high-speed British circuit. Silverstone, in particular, has increasingly favored medium-to-low downforce setups in recent years due to the significant aerodynamic load already generated by modern Formula 1 chassis designs.
These technical changes, especially those involving the floor design, have significantly improved both the drivability and balance of the C45—two areas that had previously drawn criticism from both Nico Hülkenberg and rookie teammate Gabriel Bortoleto. From the start of the season, both drivers had voiced concerns about how the car struggled in dirty air—losing more downforce than most when following other cars closely.
Addressing this issue is far from simple. Accurately simulating the turbulence generated by a leading car in CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) models is a notoriously complex task. Wind tunnel testing also presents limitations, as the methods for adjusting the yaw angle of airflow—via rotating belt systems—are restricted.
A floor that changed the development trajectory
“It was a three-phase upgrade package,” explained Inaki Rueda, Sauber’s Sporting Director, while outlining the team’s recent development path. “We brought the new floor to Barcelona, and we immediately scored points. That wasn’t a coincidence. The floor made the car easier to drive, and that was exactly our goal.”
Rueda elaborated that additional updates in Austria were based on the same design philosophy, with only slight variations to the floor geometry. At Silverstone, the team took yet another step in the same direction. “All of these updates aim to improve the car’s behavior under yaw—when it’s rotating through high-speed corners,” he added.
These improvements have directly enhanced stability in some of the most demanding parts of the track—especially in corners where the car is most affected by turbulent air and unpredictable wind gusts. According to Rueda, these seemingly small changes have collectively made Sauber significantly more competitive than it was prior to the Barcelona upgrade.
Interestingly, the engineers at Hinwil initially believed that the Barcelona update would be the final major performance package of the 2025 campaign. The goal was to stop development early to fully concentrate on designing the 2026 Formula 1 car, which will need to comply with the next set of radical regulation changes. However, the success of the Barcelona floor exceeded expectations and opened the door to new development directions.
Thanks to a relatively spaced-out section of the calendar—including a break after Barcelona before traveling to Canada, followed by another pause ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix—the engineers had time to refine and manufacture new components using the valuable data gathered in Spain. This allowed Sauber to bring further updates to both Spielberg and Silverstone.
Looking ahead to 2026, but with lessons learned
“The objective was to produce a floor that gave us better drivability, not just more downforce,” Rueda continued. “The aerodynamic department proposed a concept that unexpectedly unlocked a whole new development path. We didn’t plan it. We were only expecting the new floor in Barcelona—not all the subsequent evolutions. But this new direction made everything else possible.”
Now, as the season progresses, the base floor design introduced in Spain remains the foundation, while the updates from Austria and Silverstone are seen as incremental refinements rather than entirely separate concepts. In fact, Sauber has already developed more than originally intended for the 2025 car.
“I think we’ve already gone beyond what we expected,” Rueda concluded. “I don’t think we’ll find many more new paths to explore. Maybe we’ll make a few small refinements, but no more major upgrades. Our focus is now fully on the 2026 project.”
He also acknowledged the difficult balance that teams face at this stage of the championship. “We didn’t expect an update at Silverstone,” he admitted. “But in the wind tunnel, we saw something simple and effective that was easy to manufacture, so we decided to keep pushing a little bit more with what we found. At the same time, if you keep following a direction that leads to a dead end, you’re wasting valuable time that could be invested in future development.”
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