As the 2025 Formula 1 season continues to unfold, Kick Sauber finds itself in a crucial transitional phase—balancing the ambition of present performance with the looming evolution into a full-fledged Audi works team in 2026. At the Thursday press conference ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, veteran driver Nico Hülkenberg shed light on the team’s clear focus: putting performance first. In a paddock often driven by spectacle and storylines, Kick Sauber is quietly grinding, race by race, in search of meaningful gains.
“Everything We Do Now Matters Next Year”
Speaking candidly in Miami, Hülkenberg emphasized that while the team’s attention is inevitably split between current and future projects, the performance trajectory of 2025 is more important than ever. “Everything we do now somewhat matters next year,” he said. “Of course, it’s a different set of regulations, but we have to push on in parallel.”
This comment encapsulates Kick Sauber’s long-term vision: they’re not simply coasting through 2025 while waiting for the Audi rebrand in 2026. Instead, they are using this season as a proving ground—not just for the drivers and engineers, but also for internal systems, race operations, and data analysis structures that will carry over when the Audi era begins. The message is clear: this is not a placeholder season.
Striving for Execution in the Tightest Midfield Yet
Despite a promising start in Melbourne, where the team showed competitive pace, subsequent rounds revealed just how fine the margins are in this year’s midfield. “In the midfield, it’s so tight that you have to be perfect on the execution every time to get something meaningful,” Hülkenberg explained. That tight pack—where five or six teams are often separated by just tenths of a second—has exposed the inconsistencies in the Kick Sauber C45.
The team has found that its car is highly sensitive to track-specific variables such as surface roughness and corner type. While Melbourne’s layout suited the package well, follow-up performances in circuits like Bahrain and Jeddah highlighted a drop in competitiveness, particularly over longer stints. Hülkenberg noted that even small mistakes—whether a mistimed pit stop or an off-line qualifying lap—can result in a drop from P9 to P16.
The takeaway? Kick Sauber must execute every weekend with surgical precision, and the team knows it. From strategy calls to driver performance and pit crew efficiency, the team is placing a premium on flawless weekends.
Building Foundations Amidst the Audi Countdown
With the Audi transition looming large, many in the paddock wonder how that pressure is being felt internally. But according to Hülkenberg, there’s a sense of clarity and urgency rather than distraction. “You can’t wait around until 2026,” he said. “We want to see the fruits of our work now, not just when the badge changes.”
The team is already laying down the infrastructure for its 2026 transformation—new facilities, personnel hires, and long-term development strategies are in motion. But Hülkenberg was quick to point out that the 2025 season remains a serious campaign, not merely a development exercise. Every point scored in 2025 matters—not only for Constructors’ standings and revenue distribution, but also for building the internal confidence that Kick Sauber can stand shoulder to shoulder with midfield rivals like Alpine, Haas, and Williams.
Additionally, Hülkenberg’s vast experience is being leveraged behind the scenes. His feedback, especially in areas such as car balance and race management, is feeding directly into the engineering team’s design and setup choices. He sees his role not just as a driver but as a builder of something bigger.
Eyes on Miami: Rebounding and Regrouping
As the team heads into the Miami weekend, expectations are grounded but optimistic. While the C45 isn’t expected to be among the frontrunners on the power-hungry Miami circuit, Hülkenberg made it clear that effort levels remain high. “We’re learning every session. If we can maximize what we’ve got, there’s no reason we can’t be in the points,” he said.
The team is bringing a minor aerodynamic tweak for Miami, hoping to enhance straight-line efficiency without compromising cornering stability. Although the upgrade isn’t expected to be transformative, it reflects the team’s commitment to continual iteration rather than waiting for bigger developments down the line.
Quiet Progress, Long-Term Vision
In a Formula 1 landscape often dominated by headline drama and marketing hype, Kick Sauber is taking a different path in 2025—one rooted in technical rigor and performance realism. Nico Hülkenberg’s comments reflect the ethos of a team that is consciously laying the groundwork for its next era, but not at the expense of the current one.
They may not be grabbing podiums just yet, but they are building something substantial. And in a sport where timing and preparation are everything, Kick Sauber’s disciplined, performance-first mindset may just be the quiet formula that sets them up for future success.
