F1 Veteran Experienced 'Frustrating' Italian Grand Prix While Teammate Delivered 'Fantastic Performance'

The mid-pack fight in the 2025 season is even tighter than it usually is, with only 31 points separating Williams in 5th, on 86, from Sauber in 8th, on 55.

Isack Hadjar scoring a podium in the Racing Bull his last time out in Zandvoort showed that the smaller teams could pull off unexpected results, meaning the fight to pick up points on a race-to-race basis is more important than ever.

One team who crucially need points is the aforementioned Sauber, who are in a close battle with RB and Aston Martin for best of the rest behind Williams.

Hülkenberg 'clearly' seeing performance in car despite early retirement

Despite the Italian Grand Prix being a relatively uneventful race in terms of incidents, with 18 cars crossing the finish line, one driver could not even start the race - Sauber's Nico Hülkenberg, who was originally placed 12th on the grid.

The 38-year-old German, who has been in and around F1 since 2010, was prevented from even taking to the grid due to a hydraulics issue that left his teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, as the sole potential points scorer for the Swiss team.

On the bad luck, Hulkenberg, speaking to F1 TV, stated:

"Obviously it's extremely frustrating if you don't even get to start the race. We experienced hydraulic issues that forced us to retire the car on the formation lap, which we now need to properly investigate and understand in detail."

However, Hülkenberg has clearly been impressed by the team's recent form, saying:

"We've clearly seen there is performance in the car, which gives us encouragement."

This was backed up by team principal Johnathan Wheatley, who also has been pleased with Sauber's recent results:

"The [team] performance gives us real encouragement as we rebuild, refocus, and push into the flyaways."

Rookie teammate Bortoleto picked up 'valuable points'

While it was not to be for Hülkenberg, young Brazilian teammate Gabriel Bortoleto - affectionately known as Gabi - ran to an impressive P8 on the day.

"We had a very solid race, with good calls and good strategy... I am obviously hungry for more, but I believe this is the best we could have achieved this weekend – it's been a consistent, productive one, and a good way to close the European leg of the season."
Bortoleto, on his race performance

To further boost the 20-year-old's confidence, team boss Wheatley beamed over his result:

"Gabriel delivered a fantastic performance... He scored valuable points, closed the gap to the team ahead, and can take a lot of confidence from his weekend."

Sauber, who will become Audi in 2026, have had a driver in the points for seven out of the eight most recent Grand Prix - form that they will want to continue if they want to leave one last great season attached to the Sauber name.

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