Kick Sauber’s aggressive development programme for their C45 continued in Barcelona, where an all-new floor brought a significant performance upgrade, one which was rewarded in the race by an official fifth place (sixth across the line) for Nico Hulkenberg.
Although the upgrade coincided with the new front wing Technical Directive, it was unconnected to that. In fact it was a response to a limitation of the car first identified in the pre-season Bahrain test, as explained by the team’s Sporting Director, Inaki Rueda.
Kick Sauber’s push to transform their 2025 C45 continued at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, where the team introduced a major floor upgrade that delivered a clear step forward. Nico Hülkenberg’s official fifth-place finish (sixth on the road, promoted after a penalty for another driver) was the best result for the team in three years and a big morale boost for the Hinwil squad.
The new floor was the headline change, but it was part of a broader package that also included updates to the engine cover and front wing. These weren’t just about chasing more downforce. According to Sporting Director Inaki Rueda, the main goal was to fix a problem first spotted during pre-season testing in Bahrain: the car was too “peaky,” meaning it was fast in perfect conditions but unpredictable and tricky to drive when things got messy—like in turbulent air or when following other cars.
The Barcelona updates targeted this “peaky” behavior by making the car’s downforce more consistent and predictable. Sauber reworked the floor fences, outboard floor edge, and diffuser to improve airflow under the car, which is where most of the downforce is generated. Changes to the sidepods and a subtle tweak to the front wing helped balance the airflow over the rest of the car. The result was a car that gave drivers more confidence, especially in high-speed corners and in traffic—something that can’t be measured in the wind tunnel but makes a big difference on race day.
To see how much of a difference the new parts made, Sauber ran a back-to-back test in practice: Hülkenberg got the full upgrade, while Gabriel Bortoleto ran the old spec. The gap between them—about 0.37 seconds—was clear, especially in the final sector, where tyre management and stability are crucial. Hülkenberg himself credited the new parts for the car’s improved race pace, and the team pointed out that only about 10 percent of the upgrade was related to complying with the new front wing technical directive. The rest was all about fixing the car’s core handling issues.
Sauber has been aggressive with upgrades all season, bringing new parts to five of the first nine races and working faster under new management. The Barcelona result shows that approach is starting to pay off. While the team is still only eighth in the constructors’ standings, the C45 now looks capable of fighting for points on merit, not just luck.
For a team that’s spent much of the season at the back, Barcelona felt like a turning point. There’s still work to do—especially on tracks with more slow corners—but the mood in the garage is a lot brighter. The upgrades have given Sauber a more stable, predictable car, and that’s exactly what the drivers and engineers have been asking for since day one.
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