Sauber’s team principal, Jonathan Wheatley, has rejected claims of any major problems behind Nico Hulkenberg‘s recent poor performance, despite the driver’s ongoing Nico Hulkenberg form struggle. The concerns come during a challenging period following Hulkenberg’s initial strong results earlier in the season.
Hulkenberg secured his first Formula 1 podium at the British Grand Prix, finishing third ahead of Lewis Hamilton, marking a high point during a brief four-race streak of scoring points. Before this, he placed fifth at the Spanish Grand Prix by overtaking Hamilton after a Safety Car period and gaining an advantage with fresher tires. He also took eighth place in Canada and ninth in Austria in the races leading up to Silverstone.
However, since that podium finish, Hulkenberg has failed to score any points. Meanwhile, his rookie teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, has been outperforming him consistently. Bortoleto has beaten Hulkenberg in qualifying at the last five races in a row and leads the season qualifying head-to-head 11-6, including ten wins out of the past twelve rounds, indicating momentum is clearly with the Brazilian driver.
Sauber’s Response to Hulkenberg’s Recent Difficulties
Hulkenberg’s struggles continued at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where he collided with the barriers during qualifying, leading to another tough race weekend. Despite this, Wheatley has downplayed worries about Hulkenberg’s performance decline, emphasizing that there is no deep-seated issue affecting the driver.
“It’s a question that I’m being asked more and more often now. I personally don’t feel there’s any fundamental issue here,”
Wheatley remarked after the Baku race.
He further noted,
“Nico is a tremendous, experienced and fast racing driver and many, many times he’s been out-qualified by a thousandth, a hundredth. It’s not always a big thing. I honestly think it’s just transient. Gabriel’s fast as well, and if one of them gets the lap right, one of them is going to out-qualify the other. Gabriel has certainly been at a run of circuits where he’s more familiar with. With Nico, I don’t think there’s anything big to get over. He’ll just string it together.”
Assessing Hulkenberg’s Qualification Performance and Race Challenges
Unlike his strong performances during two seasons with Haas, qualifying sessions have become a clear weakness for Hulkenberg this year. With just seven rounds remaining, his teammate Bortoleto has extended his qualifying advantage, outpacing the German 11 to 6 in the standings.
Reflecting on his difficult weekend in Azerbaijan, Hulkenberg admitted that his race was compromised by an unsuccessful qualifying session and unfortunate circumstances during the race itself.
“It was one of those races where things just didn’t fall into place,”
Hulkenberg said.
He added,
“I always seemed to be on the wrong side of the timing, losing out here and there. The highlight was definitely the restart – I managed a nice double overtake into Turn 3, which was rewarding. But after that, I was stuck behind Franco [Colapinto] and Lance [Stroll] for most of the first stint. We lost a lot of time there, and that was really the make-or-break moment.
The pace at the end was good, but by then the race had already slipped away from us – qualifying and the early laps left us with too much to recover. There weren’t many variables or opportunities to shake up the order today. It wasn’t our strongest weekend, but we’ll take the lessons on board and focus on executing better next time out.”
What Lies Ahead for Hulkenberg and Sauber
Hulkenberg’s current trajectory presents a tense situation for the Sauber team as they balance the promise he showed earlier in the season with his recent downturn. Despite this, the team remains confident that Hulkenberg’s experience and raw speed can overcome this slump, particularly as Bortoleto continues to press forward.
With several races still to come in the season, Sauber will be watching closely to see if Hulkenberg can regain his qualifying form and consistently convert that into race results. The team’s ability to adapt and support their drivers could prove crucial as the championship progresses.
