A successful return to Sauber for Nico Hülkenberg
After an unsuccessful qualifying session, Nico Hülkenberg managed to avoid being trapped by the difficult conditions in Melbourne. His seventh-place finish has already earned a lot of points for a team that really needs them.
In a race with changing and difficult conditions, the priority is to be in a position to finish the race. This is where we observed the difference in experience between the two Sauber drivers: Nico Hülkenberg managed to climb up to seventh place, while Gabriel Bortoleto’s race ended in the wall.
Yet, the young Brazilian made a strong impression on Saturday by dominating Nico Hülkenberg in qualifying, even though the German’s one-lap pace has always been a benchmark. But as the saying goes, it’s on Sunday that points are scored.
The German drove a cautious race, not putting up a constant defense against Kimi Antonelli when the Mercedes driver made a comeback from the back of the grid. When the weather eventually unleashed, the Swiss team’s pit wall made the right decisions to propel their new driver into the top 10: « We didn’t see it coming in the first half of the race. It didn’t look promising, but things got more exciting towards the end. We made the right decisions. I think others struggled more, and we picked up the pieces. We were there when it mattered. So I’m very happy with the points scored today. »
For the one making his return to Hinwil after his first stint in 2013, it is a successful comeback since, with six points, Sauber has already scored more points than in the entire 2024 season (four, thanks to Guanyu Zhou’s eighth place in Qatar).
