Sauber hopes to ‘build on momentum’ with upgrades at Austrian Grand Prix

The Formula 1 grid heads to the Styrian hills this week for the Austrian Grand Prix, the first race of a double-header that will bring the circuit to the historic Silverstone circuit next weekend for the British Grand Prix.

At Sauber, the team is hoping that some upgrades for the C45 will help them keep the “momentum” going from the past two races.

Veteran driver Nico Hülkenberg finished in the points at both the Spanish Grand Prix and the Canadian Grand Prix, with his fifth-place result in Barcelona punctuated by a final-lap overtake of Lewis Hamilton. Hülkenberg followed that with an eighth-place finish in Montreal.

Now, the team is introducing some new components for their challenger in Austria.

“Our performances in Spain and Canada were encouraging and reflect the direction we have been working towards, both on track and at the factory. Austria presents an opportunity to build on this momentum with some new parts being introduced from the first practice session,” said Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley in the team’s media preview.

“Spielberg is one of the shorter Formula One circuits, so margins will be tight, even by this season’s very close performance numbers,” added Wheatley. “There is still plenty of work ahead of us and the team is staying focused on execution, taking every opportunity to build, step-by-step, on the progress made over the last few weeks.”

Hülkenberg described the past two races as a “moderate step forward” for the team.

“It’s always a great atmosphere racing in Austria — the setting is unique and there is a good energy around the event. The last couple of weekends have marked a moderate step forward for us, and things are starting to feel a bit more in place,” began Hülkenberg.

“This weekend we have some new parts on the car, so the key will be understanding how they behave and building up through the sessions. We will further focus on staying on top of details and put everything together, like we have been doing recently, to open yet another chance to come awaywith something again.”

Rookie Gabriel Bortoleto has yet to finish in the points this season, but the 2024 F2 Drivers’ Champion captured the Feature race at Red Bull Ring last season. He also delivered his best qualifying performance two races ago, as he qualified 12th for the Spanish Grand Prix.

“I’m really looking forward to Spielberg: I like the track and it’s overall a cool place to race,” said Bortoleto. “The last couple of events have been encouraging for the team and have shown the progress we have been making: I am hungry to deliver a strong result of my own, too.

This weekend, it’s about getting into a good rhythm from the start and making the most of what we are bringing,” added the Sauber rookie. “The team has been working really hard both behind the scenes and on-track, and I am keen to build on the progress made so far.”