Sauber: Nico Hülkenberg hopeful for another strong result in Austria with new car parts. Nico Hülkenberg aims for a third consecutive points finish in Austria.

Hülkenberg aiming for a third consecutive points finish in Austria: “We’ll have some new parts on the car” The German will look to benefit from the upgrades brought by Sauber to secure his third consecutive top-10 finish.

Two GPs, two steps forward
Sauber heads into the Austrian Grand Prix week in good form, following positive results from the last two races. In both Spain and Canada, Nico Hülkenberg finished in the points (5th in Barcelona and 8th in Montreal), performances that have brought him closer to the top ten in the overall standings.

Ahead of him are the Frenchmen Isack Hadjar and Esteban Ocon, who lead by one and two points respectively. That gap could be closed this weekend at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, where the team will also bring updates to the C45: “It’s always a great atmosphere racing in Austria,” said Hülkenberg. “The environment is unique, and there’s good energy around the event. The last two weekends marked a moderate step forward for us and things are starting to go better. This weekend we’ll have some new parts on the car, so the key will be understanding how they behave and building on that throughout the sessions. We’ll further focus on attention to detail and putting everything together, just like we’ve done recently, to have another chance to score again.”

More experience
It has been a tougher season so far for Nico Hülkenberg’s teammate Gabriel Bortoleto. Still without a single point and at the bottom of the standings, the Brazilian will at least return to a track he knows—unlike Montreal. In Austria, the Formula 2 champion won last year’s Feature Race, and also secured a second place in Formula 3 in the 2023 Feature Race: “I’m really looking forward to going to Spielberg: I like the track, and overall it’s a great place to race. The last two events were encouraging for the team and showed the progress we’re making. I’m also eager to get a strong result. This weekend is about finding a good rhythm from the start and making the most of what we’ve got. The team has worked really hard, both behind the scenes and at the track, and I’m keen to capitalise on the progress we’ve made so far.”