Nico Hülkenberg does it again
The fifth place secured in Barcelona had highlighted Nico Hülkenberg’s excellent performance at the wheel of the Sauber, though many fans felt it would take a few more races before the German driver would return to the points. Proving those predictions wrong in the very next Grand Prix in Canada, it was once again Nico Hülkenberg who broke into the top ten with a strong eighth-place finish.
Progress signed by Sauber
A result that, beyond confirming the qualities of car #27 (now three times in the top ten this year), also highlights the growth of the Swiss team as it awaits Audi’s arrival in 2026. A pleased Hülkenberg commented that he was very happy with the result — another tough race and more points on the board, which was always satisfying. He explained that he managed to stay out of trouble and take advantage of some battling between Franco Colapinto and Alex Albon at Turn 8, which allowed him to gain a couple of positions coming out of Turn 9. From there, it was a matter of tyre management and maintaining a consistent pace, ensuring a clean race. He noted that they had shown competitive pace on two very different tracks, which meant the recent upgrade had clearly been a step forward. Especially under race conditions, the car had become more consistent, better balanced, and overall much more predictable to drive — the kind of stability that allows a driver to push when needed.
Gabriel Bortoleto’s weekend
Nico Hülkenberg’s satisfaction once again contrasted with that of Formula 2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto, who finished 14th on a track he had never raced on before. The Brazilian, the only driver yet to score points among those who have contested every race this season, expressed contentment with the team’s progress but acknowledged the challenges faced over the weekend. He said it had been a difficult weekend for him, though he was happy the team had once again delivered. They had come very close to Q2 in qualifying, but missing the cut on Saturday had compromised their Sunday. Starting from P15 with faster cars like the Williams, Red Bull and RB behind had made things difficult. He explained that he had to push hard on the tyres to stay ahead, which impacted the race. They tried a strategy with a long first stint on hard tyres, hoping for a Safety Car that came too late, and once you’re 20 seconds behind after a pit stop, there’s only so much you can recover, even on fresh tyres. He felt there was more potential — that they could have gained a couple more places on pace alone — but now the focus was on figuring out how to do more and start scoring points. Gabriel Bortoleto acknowledged that Nico was once again doing a great job, probably extracting everything the car had to give, but knowing how close they were on Saturdays showed that their performance levels were similar. They were usually within half a tenth of each other in qualifying, but in such a tight midfield, that could make a huge difference, as seen over the last two weekends. He believed he had the right pace, but also needed to learn how to maximise results during the race — something that would come with experience, weekend after weekend. He said he didn’t intend to complain: it was a matter of reviewing everything, learning, and coming back stronger. They had made progress since Barcelona, even though this track didn’t suit them, and he felt confident they were heading in the right direction.
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