McLaren and Sauber share funny moment: unexpected SMS during F1 Austrian Grand Prix. McLaren CEO Zak Brown revealed that he received an unusual text message in Austria.

During the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix, McLaren CEO Zak Brown revealed that he received an unusual text message from the Sauber team.

The Austrian Grand Prix saw a strong McLaren outperform a Ferrari that, while slightly improved in this race, still has not reached the level hoped for by all Ferrari fans. As reported by RacingNews365, a humorous and somewhat peculiar anecdote emerged between Sauber and McLaren during the race. McLaren disclosed that they received an unexpected SMS during the event.

Sauber Asks McLaren Not to Lap Them
Sauber Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley sent a playful message to McLaren CEO Zak Brown saying, “Don’t lap us!” At the time, Sauber was having an excellent race, with drivers Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg running in eighth and ninth positions respectively. During a battle for seventh place between Gabriel Bortoleto and Fernando Alonso, McLaren’s race leader Lando Norris was closing in to lap them. Wheatley knew that the lap would benefit Alonso and therefore jokingly sent the message to Brown, asking him not to lap Sauber’s cars.

Sauber’s Strong Weekend in Austria
Sauber achieved its first double points finish since 2022 at the Austrian Grand Prix. For Gabriel Bortoleto, it was his first career points in Formula 1, while Nico Hülkenberg secured his third consecutive top-10 finish. Jonathan Wheatley praised Gabriel Bortoleto, highlighting how the results reflect a steady and consistent growth trajectory for the team. With this performance, Sauber moves closer to sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship. The team hopes to continue this positive momentum in upcoming races, starting with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, although Nico Hülkenberg will be absent from the first practice session there.