Pre Race
All eyes on Barcelona!
Nico Hulkenberg and the rest of the Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber are in full swing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the third and final leg of the European triple header: the Spanish Grand Prix! A familiar venue thanks to years of testing, Barcelona presents well-known challenges for both teams and drivers. This weekend, the team aims to maximise the potential of a new upgrade package.
“Barcelona is probably the circuit where I’ve done the most laps in an F1 car, and that helps when preparing for the weekend ahead! We are bringing a new package here, and the key will be to understand how it performs early during practice and make the most of it,” says Nico Hulkenberg.
The German tested the new package in both of Friday’s practice sessions and reported a solid day with no major issues, as the team gathered a wealth of useful data.
“The car felt good right from the start. The upgrade package we brought for this weekend appears to be working as intended – the balance has improved, and I felt more confident behind the wheel straight away. Tonight, we’ll go through our usual routine: analyse the data, fine-tune the setup, and look for any further gains. The midfield is extremely tight once again, so every tenth will count. It’s going to be a close fight tomorrow in qualifying,” Hulkenberg adds.
While the final practice session and qualifying will take place on Saturday, the 66-lap Spanish Grand Prix will be green-flagged on Sunday at 15:00 (GMT +2) local time.
Three Facts About Barcelona:
- Completed in 1991, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya hosted its first Formula 1 race that same year – a race remembered for the legendary Senna-Mansell duel, as the two drivers went down the front straight side by side while battling for second place.
- In the 1994 race, Michael Schumacher finished on the podium despite driving most of the race stuck in fifth gear. Two years later, he claimed his first win for Ferrari at the same venue!
- And who can forget the 2016 crash, where Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg took each other out on the opening lap?! This incident allowed a young Max Verstappen to secure his first-ever Formula 1 victory…
Qualifying
Nico ready to push!
Update from Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where Nico Hulkenberg narrowly missed out on Q2 by just five hundredths in today’s qualifying session. The German race ace remains positive ahead of the race, as the upgrades on the Sauber C45 have clearly delivered a step forward.
“We definitely had the potential to progress today, but unfortunately, my final lap wasn’t as clean as it could’ve been. I picked up quite a bit of understeer in the last sector, which cost me around two tenths, and in such a tight Q1, that made all the difference,” said Nico Hulkenberg.
“The handling felt more consistent, and the overall balance has improved – that’s definitely encouraging. Looking ahead to tomorrow, starting from P16 means we’ll have to deal with traffic, which is always a challenge on a fast, flowing circuit like this. It won’t be easy, but we’ll regroup tonight and explore all strategic options to move forward.”
Let’s do it, Nico! Sunday’s 66-lap Spanish Grand Prix will be green-flagged at 15:00 (GMT +2) local time.
Race Day
“That’s a BIG result for us”
Wow!!! What an epic Sunday for Nico Hulkenberg, who finished 5th (!) in the Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – bringing home 10 points! Starting from P15, the Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber driver quickly fought his way into the points. Thanks to a strong performance behind the wheel and well-executed pit stops, the team secured its best result since the Imola race in 2022.
“It was one of those Sundays where everything came together really well. Right from the beginning, we were in the mix – a strong start, a clean first lap, and we were immediately able to fight for points. Ironically, not having the best Saturday and saving a set of softs gave us a strategic edge with the tyre allocation,” said Nico Hulkenberg.
The Admin By Request-backed German showed strong pace throughout the race and praised the new updates on the Sauber C45, which clearly marked a step forward. Teammate Gabriel Bortoleto finished in a solid 12th place.
“Credit to the whole team, both at the factory and trackside, for the hard work on the upgrades. I didn’t quite maximise things yesterday – it was disappointing to underdeliver, and I was frustrated with myself. But that anger gave me an extra push today. It’s satisfying to bounce back like this and bring home points. Big result for us, that’s what matters in the end,” Nico added.
Strong job, team! Huge congratulations from everyone at Admin By Request! Now it’s time for some well-deserved rest before the championship continues in Canada on June 13–15
