Since the Formula 1 race in Spain, the Sauber team has scored points every race weekend: Team boss Jonathan Wheatley explains why
According to team boss Jonathan Wheatley, the latest technical updates are the reason for Sauber’s rapid rise in form.
The Swiss racing team has scored 51 championship points so far in the 2025 Formula 1 season – 45 of them since the Spanish Grand Prix in June. Since then, Sauber has finished in the points every race weekend. The highlight was Nico Hülkenberg’s third place at Silverstone. Most recently, Gabriel Bortoleto impressed with sixth place in Budapest.
For Wheatley, this is a clear indication that Sauber has consistently developed the C45. His team has achieved a “wide range of performance improvements.”
How Sauber has improved its car
Especially under the car: Sauber has introduced three separate underbody updates since Barcelona. These were joined by two front wing variants and a new rear wing. Sauber has also revised the car’s rear bodywork.
This is noticeable in many ways on the race track: “It seems as if we can follow the other cars better than other teams. And the drivers are coping better with the car on different tire compounds and on different tracks,” says Wheatley.
This is reflected in the Formula 1 constructors’ championship standings: Sauber has moved up from last place to seventh since Spain and is now within striking distance of Aston Martin in sixth.
Wheatley to lead Sauber/Audi to the top
“We have exceeded our expectations,” says team boss Wheatley. “That’s very encouraging. And now we want to build on this momentum and keep it going.”
Because Sauber is becoming the new Audi factory team: The German manufacturer will make its Formula 1 debut in the 2026 season and does not want to play catch-up, but to win – in the medium term.
That’s why Wheatley came to Sauber from Red Bull: to coordinate the transition to Audi and lead Audi to the top. The current upward trend confirms that he is on the right track.
