Sauber wants to show Audi “a positive trend” with F1 2025 developments

Sauber has been prolific with its upgrade cycle in the opening races of Formula 1’s 2025 season, and the Swiss team has aimed to show Audi “a positive trend” and simultaneously improve its processes back at base.

The Hinwil team has introduced a revised floor and rear wing assembly for the Japanese Grand Prix, having previously trialled a new front wing in Australia and new sidepods in China. This follows on from the team’s busy end to 2024, in which it appeared to drastically pick up the pace with its cadence of updates.

Performance director Stefano Sordo pointed to the “poor” season that the team endured in 2024, in which it picked up only four points courtesy of Zhou Guanyu’s eighth-place finish in Qatar. This followed the introduction of a new floor, which offered Sauber a much needed, if not late, boost.

Asked by Autosport if Sauber had changed its approach, with it put to him that the consensus was that it had largely eschewed early-season upgrades in 2024 to focus its resources on preparing for 2026, Sordo explained that the team felt it necessary to up its development as a means to also improve its infrastructure.

“We obviously had a very bad season last year, and the reality is that with Audi coming in, we have to show that we are in a positive trend,” Sordo explained.

“Don’t forget that as we develop the car, a very important thing is that you develop the tools as well, and the tools will always help you develop in the next car.

“I think in order to develop a good 2026 car, we have to develop the tools in order to put together a decent car this year anyway – it’s obviously key to developing a car. That was the fundamental idea.”

Sordo stated that the team has targeted an increase in downforce with its new floor, albeit in a way that does not compromise the driveability of its C45 chassis.

He added that the floor was open to being developed in stages – with Sauber modifying the diffuser, floor fences, and edge for Suzuka. This, Sordo explained, allowed it to be reactive to any changes that may be needed to any of the other surfaces.

“It’s quite difficult to find the edge where you can push [the design]; we collect lots of data on track, and you try to calibrate all the tools to take that into account, but it’s very easy to be greedy and to fall off the edge.

“These cars are very tricky in that respect, many teams have reverted back to some of the previous designs, obviously bouncing is an issue.

“The floor is developed in stages – let’s say three stages. The first stage is the main surfaces, and then stage two and stage three, there are more of the details.

“Stage two and stage three come later on, so you’ve got time to react to it. We try to bake in the time so that we can react to the issues of the car.

“We want to develop aerodynamics that are, let’s say, as benign as possible, but we always react, especially in the last two stages of the design.

“It’s detailed work, but I think on these cars it’s very much about precise detailed work that makes a big difference.”

Photos from Japanese GP – Practice