{"id":34771,"date":"2025-06-05T05:53:05","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T09:53:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=34771"},"modified":"2025-06-05T05:53:05","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T09:53:05","slug":"f1-sauber-preparing-more-upgrades-to-c45","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/06\/05\/f1-sauber-preparing-more-upgrades-to-c45\/","title":{"rendered":"F1: Sauber preparing more upgrades to C45"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/06\/02\/hulkenberg-delivers-huge-points-in-spain-thanks-to-sauber-updates\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Nico Hulkenberg<\/a> stunned the field to finish 5th at the Spanish GP, pushing Sauber from last to 8th in the standings.<\/p>\n<p>Following a series of relatively uncompetitive weekends, the Swiss team brought their biggest updates of 2025 to Spain.<\/p>\n<p>These upgrades were highly anticipated, representing a significant investment from the factory in Hinwil.<\/p>\n<p>In an era where upgrades often fall short of expectations, Sauber exceeded all of them in Barcelona.<\/p>\n<p>The C45 was more competitive in every aspect, particularly in the medium-speed corners that characterise the Spanish GP.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/05\/30\/why-spain-could-be-saubers-last-chance-to-recover-in-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Sauber<\/a> have more upgrades planned in the coming weeks, which could further consolidate their position in the midfield.<\/p>\n<h2>Sauber put themselves in contention<\/h2>\n<p>Sauber finished last year&#8217;s F1 campaign in last place, with <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/02\/24\/zhou-guanyu-optimistic-of-returning-to-f1-in-2026\/\" target=\"_self\">Zhou Guanyu<\/a> securing the team&#8217;s only points in Qatar.<\/p>\n<p>One positive, however, was that their late-season updates in Las Vegas hit their performance targets.<\/p>\n<p>This put the team in a better position heading into 2025, though Sauber remained at the back of the pack in round one.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"ARla88plTzdr61jrVyJl0Q\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2218104906\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'ARla88plTzdr61jrVyJl0Q',sig:'2PlONVSp63nOnGuYX2x4_6tf68vJaMsHOCi8pO7XiAI=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2218104906',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Since Australia, most teams in the midfield have introduced some upgrades.<\/p>\n<p>For many, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/05\/29\/alonso-outlines-adrian-newey-impact-at-aston-martin\/\" target=\"_self\">Aston Martin<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/06\/04\/ayao-komatsu-calls-for-haas-reflection-after-spanish-gp\/\" target=\"_self\">Haas<\/a>, these changes have involved quite substantial aerodynamic modifications.<\/p>\n<p>Because of this, Sauber were in desperate need of a response at the Spanish GP.<\/p>\n<p>This is precisely what they got with their C45 updates, which allowed Hulkenberg to finish 5th and also allowed Gabriel <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/03\/13\/bortoleto-responds-to-helmut-marko-b-driver-comment\/\" target=\"_self\">Bortoleto<\/a> to fight for the top 10.<\/p>\n<p>In a race that was punishing on tyres, tyre management was well managed by the Hinwil squad.<\/p>\n<p>Nico Hulkenberg discussed the impact of the team&#8217;s upgrades post-race:<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;Everything clicked. Good start, mega first lap.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;Made a bunch of positions &#8211; which was the foundation for the race.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;After that, to be honest, it was just a good car. Good rhythm, good balance and harmony.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;The updates really paying dividends, which was very enjoyable and great to see.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<h4>The next phase of Sauber&#8217;s development<\/h4>\n<p>As a team in the midfield, Sauber have the luxury of switching their development towards 2026 earlier &#8211; should they deem this necessary.<\/p>\n<p>Next year is obviously of tremendous importance for Sauber, as they transition into Audi F1.<\/p>\n<p>Despite this, Jonathan Wheatley&#8217;s team still have more in store for their 2025 challenger.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"WmyUBgjQSc9G2sTU7f0WoQ\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2217953349\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'WmyUBgjQSc9G2sTU7f0WoQ',sig:'fv0xJWhmoHnUcEmlov2KBlckWcQggpWes4Au9_Or7wQ=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2217953349',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<p>As reported by <a href=\"https:\/\/it.motorsport.com\/f1\/news\/f1-sauber-arrivera-un-altro-pacchetto-di-novita-lobiettivo-e-averlo-prima-della-pausa-estiva\/10729370\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">it.motorsport<\/a>, another set of upgrades should arrive to the C45 in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n<p>Sauber aim to bring these updates before the summer break &#8211; at which point development for the new regulations will surely become the priority.<\/p>\n<p>For various reasons, Audi&#8217;s engine programme faces some significant hurdles ahead of 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Bridging the gap to more established manufacturers such as Mercedes, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/06\/02\/vasseur-optimistic-ferrari-closing-the-gap-to-mclaren\/\" target=\"_self\">Ferrari<\/a> and Honda will be difficult.<\/p>\n<p>Because of this, paradoxical as it may seem, it makes sense for Sauber to bring another series of updates to the C45.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the upgrades currently in development were already been decided upon months ago &#8211; prior to Sauber&#8217;s breakthrough result in Spain.<\/p>\n<p>The next package for the C45 has already been designed, with the team now in the production phase.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless, the Swiss outfit are now a legitimate force in the midfield.<\/p>\n<p>Should they make further improvements, especially with the likes of Williams already focused on <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/06\/03\/f1-cadillac-reveal-three-or-four-drivers-on-2026-shortlist\/\" target=\"_self\">2026<\/a>, Sauber could further establish themselves as regular points contenders.<\/p>\n<p>Whilst they face an uphill battle ahead of next year, they cannot be written off in the remaining fifteen rounds of this season.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main photo: David Ramos\/Getty Images (via Sauber media gallery)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nico Hulkenberg stunned the field to finish 5th at the Spanish GP, pushing Sauber from last to 8th in the standings. Following a series of relatively uncompetitive weekends, the Swiss team brought their biggest updates of 2025 to Spain. These upgrades were highly anticipated, representing a significant investment from the factory in Hinwil. In an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4927,"featured_media":34772,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[206,2541,2452,345],"class_list":["post-34771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-formula-1","category-news","tag-audi","tag-c45","tag-f1-2025-season","tag-sauber"],"modified_by":"Jaden Diaz-Ndisang","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4927"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34771"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34775,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34771\/revisions\/34775"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}