One underrated F1 team point to "the things people can't see"

Sauber’s resurgence in the middle of the 2025 Formula 1 season is a “good sign for the future” as it prepares for its new era as the factory Audi team, according to team boss Jonathan Wheatley.

The Hinwil-based squad started the year with the slowest car on the grid, with the switch to an all-new line-up of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto complicating matters further.

However, a slew of updates have transformed the team’s fortunes, with last weekend’s Belgian GP marking its fifth consecutive points finish of the season.

Hulkenberg’s drive to third place at Silverstone was also Sauber’s first podium in F1 over a decade, and the squad is now placed a strong sixth in the championship.

While Wheatley is under no illusions about what’s possible this year, he highlighted Sauber’s ability to continue to deliver performance upgrades at the end of the rule cycles as a testament to its engineering talent.

“Let’s face it, I doubt we’re going to be regular competitors for podiums,” said Wheatley.

“But what I think it showed is that the small gains we’re making behind the scenes, the things people can’t see necessarily, on top of the performance we’re putting on the car towards the end of a set of technical regulations where normally things are stale, all show good signs for the future.

“There’s a great energy in the team. We’re moving forwards. I’m not entirely sure we could have delivered that result earlier on in the season because you have to get everything right to get a podium.

“But we got a great time to enjoy it and actually got to breathe and enjoy it at the factory before coming to the next race.”

Sauber will become Audi’s factory team at the start of the new rules era in 2026, with the German marque having taken over full ownership in it.