In Barcelona, Sauber was one of the few teams to present a genuine package of updates that went far beyond the redesigned wing, adjusted to comply with the new FIA flex tests introduced last weekend.
A new floor, new sidepods—in short, maybe not half a new car, but a more than substantial change aimed at making the aerodynamic load more consistent across the car and improving drivability for Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. And in the end, the updates worked, considering the fifth-place finish achieved by the German driver.
Everyone knows that 2026 will bring a new technical regulation, set to redefine and redesign Formula 1 cars. It’s natural to think that this year’s less competitive teams might soon stop developing their 2025 cars to allocate time, resources, and energy to the future car.
Sauber could be one of those teams—at least on paper. Instead, the team in Hinwil is working to create another significant package of updates currently planned for introduction after the break.
“The updates we brought to Barcelona won’t be the last of the 2025 season,” said Sauber sporting director Inaki Rueda last weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
“We have another major update package scheduled, which we’ll bring later in the season. The parts have already been designed and produced, so there won’t be further opportunities to design new ones. We’re now focusing on manufacturing them.”
As of now, these new parts are scheduled for late August. However, in Switzerland, there is a strong push to see whether they can be brought forward and fitted to the cars during the last European Grands Prix before the summer break.
“At the moment, this new package of updates is planned for the second half of the season, after the summer break. But we’re trying to determine if we can accelerate production.”
“Compared to last year, I think one thing that has changed is how we manufacture parts. With the arrival of the new management in the middle of last year, the production process has undergone a major acceleration. I think that’s probably the most significant change,” Inaki Rueda concluded.
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