Sauber Team -director Jonathan Wheatley says that the current drivers Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg have made the team for the most collaboration that Veteran F1 manager has ever seen.
Sauber drew Rookie Bortoleto after back-to-back titles in Formula 2 and F3, with the Brazilian picked next to Hulkenberg in a completely new line-up for 2025 and in the new era of the team as Audi next season. With the two drivers who score 45 points between them in the last six races, former Red Bull Sporting Director Wheatley says that the way they work together is a crucial aspect of the recent revival of the team.
“It’s incredibly important,” said Wheatley. “I have to say that it is the nearest, most cooperating combination of drivers, I think I can even remember in Formula 1 in all my time.
“Gabriel has a fantastic working ethics. He has a capacity to adopt new information. He proves in every possible way to be the future star that we expected to be. And Nico is part of that trip with him.
“On the other side of the engineering table you have this extraordinary experience and the proven talent of Nico. I mean, we are talking a lot about Gabi [after Hungary]But Nico did great. You don’t really see it or you don’t notice it because it did not result in a point finish. But as a team we are very satisfied with both our drivers. “
While the Bortoleto breakthrough run in Hungary testified to Sauber’s development, Wheatley thinks it was just as much about how his Rookie driver is progressing. Joe Portlock/Getty Images
Bortoleto scored a career-best sixth place in Hungary to bring his count to 14 points in the last four races, and although the Sauber has clearly taken a step forward in competitiveness, Wheatley emphasizes the director’s own development.
“It is worth it to point out that he did not do 10,000 kilometers of previous cars,” he said. “He did not do 10,000 kilometers in the Formula 1 car.
“It is his first season in Formula 1. There are so many circuits where he has not been. And there is something where he has not been. He has been able to deliver the last few races in Circuits in Circuits he knows.
“I think he is mature and developed as a driver. And I think he can adapt much faster to these new circuits than he is in the first half of the season.”
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