Nov 22, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu of China (24) drives during qualifiers for the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024 at the Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

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Kick Sauber F1 Team Season Guide and Predictions

Kick Sauber Formula 1 Team

Team Name	Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber
Base	Hinwil, Zürich, Switzerland
Team Principal	Mattia Binotto
Drivers	Nico Hulkenberg- #27; Gabriel Bortoleto- #5

Season Recap 2024

The 2024 season for Kick Sauber ended with only four points to their name. They are officially the worst team on the grid and have no performance. The team was ignored for the major part of the 2024 season as their drives battled amongst themselves to not finish dead last. Sauber thought they had secured a race winning driver in Valtteri Bottas.

But what they failed to realise was the fact that Bottas needed a car that could actually win races. The combined efforts of Guanyu and Bottas fell in vain as they never had the speed to actually compete with the rest of the grid. Sauber could not even produce a car capable of challenging the midfield and remained a backmarker throughout the season. At least they should’ve thought of a better name than (deep breath) Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber.

History

Sauber debuted in Formula 1 in 1993 hoping to take advantage of the new engine regulations. They established themselves as a competitive mid-field team for the initial years. However, their partnership with BMW from 2006-2009 managed to take them to the front of the grid where they used to compete for wins and championships. Team Sauber was able to produce a 2nd place finish in 2007 and 3rd in 2008 in the constructor’s championships. They returned to their former glory of competing in midfield in the latter years. It was announced in 2024 that Audi is going to take over the team and Binotto would be the lead of the new project.

Stats Table

Year	Points	WCC
1993	12	7th
1994	12	8th
1995	18	7th
1996	11	7th
1997	16	7th
1998	10	6th
1999	5	8th
2000	6	8th
2001	21	4th
2002	11	5th
2003	19	6th
2004	34	6th
2005	20	8th
2006	36	5th
2007	101	2nd
2008	135	3rd
2009	36	6th
2010	44	8th
2011	44	7th
2012	126	6th
2013	57	7th
2014	0	10th
2015	36	8th
2016	2	10th
2017	5	10th
2018	48	8th
2019	57	8th
2020	8	8th
2021	13	9th
2022	55	6th
2023	16	9th
2024	4	10th

Predictions for 2025

Sauber have secured the services of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto for 2025. The German driver is easily irreplaceable as he would be the center of attraction for Audi’s plans. However, Sauber also has a talented rookie and Formula 2 champion whom they should foster if they want to start the next season on a positive note. The team would be looking forward to the transition from 2026. In 2025, Sauber should mostly focus on building driver dynamics and creating a stable team. They can try to scourge for points if they want to remove the tag of being the worst Formula 1 team for the 2025 season.

Nico Hulkenberg

Name	Nicolas Hülkenberg
Birthplace	Emmerich am Rhein, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
Birthdate	19 August 1987

Nico Hulkenberg holds the most unfortunate record of Formula 1. He has the most career starts in the sport without a victory or podium finish. Hulkenberg has never been able to finish better than fourth. He has remained a midfield driver throughout his career with various teams. He has a career best finish of seventh in the driver’s championships. The last few years he spent as driver for Haas did not help his cause at all. Hulkenberg will have to prove his worth to Audi if he wants to compete on the front row of the grid with Audi. Hulkenberg was able to save Haas from becoming the worst team on the grid by bringing many points finishes for the team. However, the 2025 season is not going to be any better for him with Sauber. They finished dead last in the championship and might not even have the capacity to bring points like Haas did.

Stats Table

Seasons raced	13
No of races	229
Points	571

Gabriel Bortoleto

Name	Gabriel Lourenzo Bortoleto Oliveira
Birthplace	Osasco, São Paulo, Brazil
Birthdate	14 October 2004

Gabriel Bortoleto is the final driver in the list of Rookies who will be joining the Formula 1 grid in 2025. He has an impressive career in the junior series. Bortoleto won the Formula 2 championship in 2024 (ironically joining the worst team in 2025). He became the seventh driver in the history of Formula 2 to win a championship in their rookie year. Gabriel Bortoleto will have to follow the lead of Nico Hulkenberg and complete his one year at Sauber without getting replaced. He might have a chance at competing in a better manner once Audi takes over Sauber, but until then, Bortoleto will have to play the waiting game and try to bring some points for Sauber here and there.

Formula 1

Formula 1 2025 Season

Formula 1 Teams

Gabriel Bortoleto

Kick Sauber F1

Nico Hulkenberg

Rohan Singh

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I work as a Writer at The Playoffs specialising in NHL, Formula 1 and Motorsports. I got into online journalism a couple of years ago. I used to be an intern for a website managing their Formula 1 content and then I served an entire year as a contractual writer.