Hulkenberg better than Bottas in 'driver feedback'

Mar.21 (GMM) Simply changing the driver lineup will eventually pay off in actual laptime, confident Sauber technical boss James Key has declared.

Having ousted Guanyu Zhou and Valtteri Bottas in favour of rookie Gabriel Bortoleto and veteran Nico Hulkenberg for 2025, the Audi-owned team got off to a good start in Australia.

Throughout most of 2024, Sauber struggled to score even a single point – and ended up with just 4 overall to finish dead last in the constructors’ championship.

But Hulkenberg’s move from Haas to Sauber immediately paid off for the Hinwil based team – with 6 points in Melbourne.

“It gives us courage and self-confidence,” said Key. “Everyone obviously wants to repeat this result now. That was something we lacked last year. We lost a bit of faith,” he told Auto Motor und Sport.

Rookie Bortoleto’s manager – and competitor – Fernando Alonso says the 20-year-old also deserves early praise, despite his Melbourne crash. “He’s the best of the new generation,” Alonso said in Shanghai, “together with Ollie (Bearman).”

Sauber’s Key, however, is particularly pleased that signing one of F1’s most experienced drivers – Hulkenberg – appears to have more than paid off.

“Nico has been truly brilliant so far,” he said. “With his experience, he can explain calmly and clearly what the car is doing. That helps us enormously.

“He has a very good feel for what’s happening around him in the cockpit. He can sense even the smallest details and communicate them very well.”

Key admits Hulkenberg, 37, is already playing his role of the team’s most experienced driver better than Bottas, who is now Mercedes’ reserve driver.

“The team hasn’t had such good driver feedback for a long time,” he said. “We’re getting completely fresh insights. This has led us to look in new directions we hadn’t even considered before.

“Unfortunately, it will take some time before this is reflected in the car.”