After the Bahrain Grand Prix, with all the attention focused on the potential penalty for George Russell that could have altered the podium, Nico Hulkenberg’s disqualification for excessive skid wear went almost unnoticed.
The German Sauber driver had crossed the finish line in 13th place, in a race that was complicated from the start: not only because of a poor start but also because in turn 3 he was “pushed” beyond the curb by Liam Lawson, losing acceleration for the following stretch.
In fact, Hulkenberg immediately dropped to the back of the pack, despite an alternative strategy to teammate Gabriel Bortoleto, starting with the soft tire. From that point, his race struggled to get back on track, at least until the intervention of the Safety Car which bunched the pack back together.
With Carlos Sainz‘s retirement and some penalties, Hulkenberg managed to climb back to 13th place. However, at Sauber, the clear goal is to increase aerodynamic load and improve the car’s platform to consistently fight in the points zone.
Things were further complicated when news broke of the German’s disqualification: during post-race technical checks, it was found that the skid block was excessively worn, with a maximum thickness of 8.4 mm, below the minimum legal limit of 9 mm. This is the second time this season that a car has been disqualified for the same reason, after the case involving Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton following the Chinese GP.
“Apparently, the skids were measured below 9 mm,” said Beat Zehnder, Sauber’s operations director and a key figure in the team. “You do FP1, FP2, FP3, measure, have your references, and we really don’t know why we went under 9 mm. Maybe it was influenced by the fact that Nico did few laps in FP3, so he lacked a reference. But this shouldn’t happen, and it won’t happen again.”
Teams use the free practice references to assess skid wear and simulate tire usage. If the setup is substantially altered between Friday and Saturday, having “real” data from FP3 becomes crucial to calibrating the expected wear values.
This is also one of the reasons the closed park was reopened during sprint weekends, allowing teams to analyze data and adjust the setup before the race, making Sundays more unpredictable.
Zehnder confirmed that Bahrain’s bumpy asphalt could contribute to skid wear, as there are dips in some sections where the car repeatedly touches the track, but he did not seek excuses: “You have to consider whether you’re on a circuit where the car bounces a lot or where many curbs are used. It was a mistake on our part.”
“Obviously, there was no intention to break the rules. Imagine if you get points and then lose them… what do you do?” he added. The only clue the team has as to why the infraction only affected Nico Hulkenberg’s car, and not Gabriel Bortoleto’s, is that the German used a setup with more aerodynamic load.
Looking at the last two years, Sauber has often had to lower the car due to a lack of downforce. Not by coincidence, the best results in 2024 came late in the season, with a new aerodynamic package that was more effective in the floor area and with the ability, on smooth tracks like Qatar, to lower the ride height, achieving more grip.
In 2025, Sauber has only managed to score points in the chaotic, weather-affected Australian race. In the other races, the team struggled to make it into the top ten, partly due to inconsistent qualifying. The car has a very narrow operating window, and the team is still trying to adapt it, also based on Nico Hulkenberg’s requests, which will require time to implement.
“The performance of modern F1 cars is very, very tight. I think we have downforce, but if you measure the downforce only in one area, I can’t say it’s not helpful, but you should have a flat downforce range. Our car is difficult to drive,” Beat Zehnder added.
In the past season, one of the problems that had limited drivers, particularly Zhou Guanyu, was the car’s sensitivity to external factors like wind, as well as its difficult handling. When technical updates came toward the end of the season, the Chinese driver made significant progress.
“Also, our car, as we’ve already experienced a bit last year, doesn’t like the heat too much. We perform better in cooler environments, and that’s something we will definitely work on. We know we need to find two or three tenths – desperately – just to qualify a bit higher. Nico is one of the best qualifying drivers I’ve ever worked with, and starting from P13 or P16 can make all the difference.”
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