The Sauber team endured a challenging qualifying session at the F1 Dutch Grand Prix, with both Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg falling short of their recent strong performances. Bortoleto will start the race from 13th position, whilst veteran Hülkenberg finds himself back in 17th after failing to escape Q1.
Bortoleto’s Q2 exit despite traffic woes
Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto managed to progress through Q1 but was eliminated in Q2, securing 13th place on the grid. The young Sauber driver, who has shown flashes of brilliance this season with two Q3 appearances, expressed frustration with both the car’s balance and traffic interference during the F1 Dutch GP qualifying session.
“Yeah, I mean, if it was the beginning of the season, I would be here, at least for Q2, but I got to Q3 twice already,” Bortoleto reflected after qualifying. “You always aim high, that’s how we are, drivers, and I feel like other qualities, maybe the laps were a bit more nailed, I know that the balance of the car was a bit in my hands, and today I think everything was not fully connected.”
The 20-year-old was particularly critical of an incident with Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda, calling the Japanese driver “blind” over the radio after what appeared to be a slight impeding incident. Speaking to media afterwards, Bortoleto explained, “I got a bit of traffic in the middle sector with Yuki being there, you know. But, yeah, shame, but we move on, we try to get some points tomorrow if possible.”
Challenging conditions test Sauber package
The windy conditions at Zandvoort proved particularly troublesome for the Sauber package, with Bortoleto acknowledging the team’s struggles compared to their stronger showing in recent weekends.
Bortoleto admitted, “I think it’s a struggle for us this weekend, you know. I think it’s a very difficult condition, very windy, very change of wind and everything, so I don’t know.”
“I mean, I’m not as confident as I was in Budapest with the car and everything, but it’s not always that you’re going to have the best car ever you can have.”
The Brazilian drew parallels with recent form fluctuations across the grid, noting, “So, look at Max [Verstappen] last weekend, look at him maybe this weekend, you know, a bit better. I was fighting for the pole, so things are like this in Formula 1.”
Hülkenberg’s Q1 struggles continue
Nico Hülkenberg endured a more difficult session, failing to progress beyond Q1 for the second consecutive weekend. The German, who has staged several impressive recovery drives, including securing his maiden podium, this season, was clearly frustrated with his car’s performance on Saturday.
“Always close, isn’t it? It’s Q1,” Hülkenberg said when asked about the tight margins. “I had three runs, so not really. And on the last run, it didn’t even improve, so that was a bit strange. Just a bit of rhythm.”
The 38-year-old identified specific areas where he was losing time. “I think it’s two corners, turn three, turn 13, where it seemed like a trend to lose there,” he said. “And I couldn’t figure it out and clean that up. And that’s all it takes, really.”
Limited optimism for race day recovery
With overtaking notoriously difficult at the Dutch circuit, both Sauber drivers face an uphill battle to score points on Sunday. Hülkenberg, despite his reputation for strong recovery drives, was realistic about the challenges ahead.
“Yeah, I think so. I think overtaking is really, really hard here. A bit like last race in Hungary,” he admitted when asked about the prospects for moving up the field. “It’s different here, and I think pace-wise, we’re maybe not looking quite as strong.”
The German attributed some of the team’s struggles to the challenging conditions: “A mix of stuff. It’s more windy here. It’s pretty gusty, obviously. It was also a thing that kept us a bit busy in Silverstone. I don’t know. Maybe they are connected.”
Despite the disappointing qualifying performance, Hülkenberg remained hopeful that changing conditions could provide opportunities, saying, “We’ll see tomorrow. But a bit of weather definitely, I think, from where we are, would be helpful or open up more opportunities.”
Looking ahead to the race
With Bortoleto starting from 13th and Hülkenberg from 17th, Sauber will need to rely on strategy and potentially changing weather conditions to salvage points from the F1 Dutch GP, after qualifying. The team’s recent strong form suggests they have the pace to compete in the midfield battle, but they’ll need everything to fall their way on Sunday to convert their challenging grid positions into championship points.
