Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

Hulkenberg pinpoints where Hungarian GP got away from him as he takes positives from first half of season.
Nico Hulkenberg has admitted that his P19 Qualifying result was the “start of the end” for his hopes at the Hungaroring, with the German unable to pull off another rise to the points around the tight, twisty venue.
6 Aug 2025
Formula One - Official Site

Nico Hulkenberg made up ground from the back of the grid in Hungary, but could not quite reach the points. Hulkenberg’s back-of-the-grid start in Hungary proved to be a more frustrating affair – the Kick Sauber racer spending most of his two-stop race stuck in traffic, given the lack of overtaking opportunities.

“It was always going to be difficult from the back,” Hulkenberg reflected after the race, which team mate Gabriel Bortoleto – who starred to reach Q3 – finished in sixth position. “We know in traffic it’s a bit difficult here.”

“I think the one-stop worked quite well for many people, so the two-stop naturally wasn’t even the faster one. A two-stop, plus a lot of traffic, means a very difficult race. No yield today, but I’m happy that Gabi was there to pick up the points. It all goes back to [Saturday], having a poor quali. Starting from the back is obviously the start of the end, a little bit.”

‘P19’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...W3T6BfVoFsXULC


Nico Hulkenberg questions false start penalty after "tough" Hungarian GP: "I didn't do anything wrong"
3 Aug 2025
Motorsport.com

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 Germany following the race, Hulkenberg admitted he had "no idea" before giving his own explanation of what may have happened. "I need to take a look at it. From my perspective, I didn’t do anything wrong, no jump start. I was a bit late today engaging first gear, and when you do that, the car makes a little jump.”

"I don’t know. Maybe I was already quite far forward and that somehow triggered it. That’s the only explanation I can think of, but yeah, I’ll have to review it." The FIA monitors any movement from a car "after the four (4) second light is illuminated and before the start signal is given by extinguishing all red lights.”

"I didn't do anything wrong";

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/n...rong/10748194/


Hulkenberg and Bortoleto praise Sauber’s progress in 2025 ahead of Audi transformation
Kick Sauber drivers Hulkenberg and Bortoleto have been reflecting on an impressive start to the season as the team prepares for their Audi transition next year.
15 Aug 2025
Formula One - Official Site

Speaking in the media pen ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, Hulkenberg said: “I think it's been a very positive first half of the season up until the summer break, obviously since Barcelona we've really managed to turn things around. “If you look where we started in winter testing compared to where we are now this is definitely good progress and a lot has happened since.”

On building for the future, the German has high hopes for the continued growth of the team and what can come next as they prepare for their transition into Audi for 2026. “Obviously so many things change on the technical side next year and I think many people are in the dark and we can only really just speculate,” he added.

“But what is being built behind the scenes and the infrastructure, and the team structure that we're building, that is growing. I think that looks good, [it] looks positive. Still a lot more to do if we look and compare ourselves to the top runners currently, but [we are] definitely going in the right direction.”

‘Sauber’s progress’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...IzcHmWTdXPr9As


Wheatley hails ‘most collaborative’ driver pairing he’s ever seen
15/08/2025
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Jonathan Wheatley has hailed the Swiss outfit’s current driver lineup of veteran Nico Hulkenberg and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto as the most “collaborative” pairing he has witnessed in his extensive Formula 1 career. “It's incredibly important,” Wheatley told reporters after the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I have to say that it's the closest, most collaborative driver pairing I think I can even remember in all my time in Formula 1. Gabriel has a fantastic work ethic. He has a capacity for taking on new information. He's proving in every way to be the future star that we expected him to be. And Nico is part of that journey with him.”

“On the other side of the engineering table, you've got this extraordinary experience and Nico's proven talent. I mean, we're talking about Gabi a lot [after Hungary], but Nico did a tremendous job. You don't really see it or you don't notice it because it didn't result in a points finish. But as a team, we're very pleased with both of our drivers.”

For rookie Gabriel Bortoleto: “It's worth pointing out again that he hasn't done 10,000 kilometers of testing of previous cars,” the Briton noted. “He hasn't done 10,000 kilometers in the Formula 1 car. It's his first season in Formula 1. There are so many circuits that he's not been to. And there's some coming up that he hasn't been to. He's been able to deliver brilliantly over the last few races in circuits that he knows. I think he's matured and developed as a driver. And I think he's going to be able to adapt to these new circuits much quicker than he did in the first half of the season.”

‘Most collaborative driver pairing he’s ever seen’;

https://f1i.com/news/546257-wheatley...ever-seen.html


Hulkenberg ‘overwhelmed’ by 700 messages after British GP podium
26/07/2025
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Nico Hulkenberg is still riding high from his stunning podium finish at the British Grand Prix earlier this month, describing the aftermath of his career-defining result as “overwhelming”. The 37-year-old German reflected on the whirlwind two weeks following his Silverstone success.
“Yeah. Surprisingly, they've been very good,” Hulkenberg said, when asked how he spent the break after his podium finish. “Nice to have a bit of time after and to enjoy the moment properly and not dive straight into the next Grand Prix. So that was good timing from that point of view.”

“Obviously, just an incredible race. Those conditions were very tricky, but we made all the right decisions and rewarded ourselves coming from last, which was pretty crazy and special. The aftermath was also overwhelming,” he revealed. “The feedback and responses we got, well over 700 messages. Took me a good week to work through it all, but obviously amazing and nice to feel and see all that.”

“The feedback and responses we got, well over 700 messages”;

https://f1i.com/news/544668-hulkenbe...gp-podium.html


Jonathan Wheatley's "shortcuts to performance" hailed by Nico Hulkenberg
Nico Hulkenberg has praised new Sauber team principal Jonathan Wheatley for bringing “shortcuts to performance” from his experience at Red Bull
Jul 25, 2025
Alex Harrington
Motorsport.com

Nico Hulkenberg has praised the early impact of team principal Jonathan Wheatley, who brings his experience as Red Bull’s former sporting director to the struggling Sauber outfit. “Very quickly he saw possibilities to optimise here and there. It’s just shortcuts to performance and to a better and a more streamlined organisation and race operation.”

"He applied some things in the structure of the team which are beneficial and helpful. Often, it's just little tweaks, but many little tweaks are a positive contribution. And back at the factory, there's a lot more work to do as we grow, to put the pieces into position and make sure they work productively in the future.”

Wheatley said after the team's success at Silverstone. "I've spoken about how important momentum is in a team, and for me, what I take from this result is that people start believing in us. I can say the words, I can say we're gaining momentum, I can say we're putting performance on the car, I can say all the hard work Mattia [Binotto] put in before I got here is coming to light, but it is all true.

“Shortcuts to performance”;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/j...berg/10744872/

[Fortitude]

Carlos Sainz is helping James Vowles assemble a ‘dream team’ behind the scenes after joining Williams.
Williams are enjoying their best season in Formula 1 since 2017. The changes that Sainz has brought to the team have clearly worked, as the Grove-based outfit are currently on course to beat their highest points tally in F1 since 2017. With Felipe Massa and Lance Stroll at the wheel, the team managed to finish fifth in the constructors’ championship, amassing a total of 83 points over the 20-round season.
16 August 2025
Ashley Hambly
F1 Oversteer

Carlos Sainz requested James Vowles to invest in a driver coach ahead of his arrival at Williams. Speaking in an interview with Racer, Sainz touched upon how he is aiding James Vowles in realising the team principal’s vision of putting Williams back on top of the F1 grid, akin to their golden age of the 1980s and 1990s.

Through his previous experience of working with one at Ferrari, Sainz’s first request was for the team to appoint a driver coach to help the drivers understand how they can unlock the most out of themselves and the Williams car. “This was talked about well before I arrived, well before we even did a race weekend. I just know the level that a Formula 1 team needs to operate to be an even more competitive team, like Ferrari, for example.”

“I just came in with a few ideas, a few things that I like, and I can cherry-pick from the four or five teams that I’ve been to in Formula 1,” Sainz said. “And if I would have to create a dream team, or a dream way of how I think a team should operate and the structure that the team needs and the way we communicate as a team, I just vocalise that to James and the top-level management of the team”

‘Invest in a driver coach’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/car...ning-williams/


Carlos Sainz details ‘completely different’ aspect between Ferrari and Williams F1 cars
9 Aug 2025
Harry Whitfield
Motorsport Week

Carlos Sainz has revealed that the Williams Formula 1 car feels “completely different” due to the variance in engine braking compared to the Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton, who made the opposite switch earlier this season by joining Ferrari from Mercedes, has also been candid about the struggles he encountered adapting.

“For me, it’s important that even if I’m taking my time to adapt to the team and the car… I don’t think I took my time to adapt to the car, I think I was quite quick straight away – it’s just getting results and putting things together that has been a struggle since the beginning of the year,” the 30-year-old said.

“Still in Race 12, it doesn’t seem like we’re getting any better at putting things together, but it will come at some point. In the meantime, I’ll just keep my head down and I’m pretty sure the result is about to come.”

‘Variance in engine braking’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...liams-f1-cars/


Carlos Sainz shares the moment he was ‘very nervous’ at Williams after Ferrari move
10 August 2025
Tyler Rowlinson
F1 Oversteer

Carlos Sainz admits he was ‘very nervous’ during his Williams debut in Australia. It has been a tough start for Sainz at Williams, having recorded a highest finish of eighth in Jeddah and Imola. He has not scored points since the Canadian GP. Sainz did not start in Austria after his FW47 caught fire in the pit lane, summing up his first half of the season. His troubles at Williams started in the worst possible way at the season opener in Melbourne.

Williams showed how they had initially taken a step forward when Sainz and Albon both reached Q3. But while the latter went on to finish P5, the former did not cross the line to complete a lap after he spun out in the rain at the final corner. Speaking via the official Williams YouTube channel, the Spaniard admitted he was ‘very nervous’ during the race as he took up position on the pit wall to help Albon with his strategy in the tricky conditions.

“You know, I enjoyed that. I had a terrible time, obviously, after the spin and the crash in my first race. I was very nervous when I said: ‘I think you should box’. And then suddenly I went: ‘Box’. And Charles, the strategist, and JV, we were like: ‘Please rain come, rain come!’ And it started p—— down.”

I think you should box’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/car...-ferrari-move/


Carlos Sainz reveals u-turn over confidence in Williams F1 decision
Carlos Sainz has had his ups and downs during his first F1 campaign with the Williams team.
18 August 2025
Fergal Walsh & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

Carlos Sainz has admitted he was uncertain after signing for Williams that it was the right choice for his F1 career. “I definitely felt last year when I took the decision, Williams was ninth in the championship and there was less certainty that maybe Williams was the right choice in my career,” Sainz told media including RacingNews365.

“Now a year on, I’m very confident of the decision I took. I’m very glad, looking at the progress the team is showing and the momentum we’re building into 2026.”

‘U-turn over confidence’;

https://racingnews365.com/carlos-sai...ms-f1-decision


Sainz names the single frustration overshadowing his Williams move
17 Aug 2025
Samson Ero
GPblog.com

In a recent interview via Racer, Sainz reflected on life at Williams, highlighting that while his debut campaign with the team has exceeded his expectations, he still harbours a few frustrations. “I don't regret the move, for sure. And I'm actually pretty encouraged by what I've seen," he said. "2025 has exceeded my expectations in terms of car performance and what the team is capable of doing. So, I'm very comfortable and calm with the decision. I'm just frustrated that the results haven't been better because the feeling is saying the opposite, but for one reason or another, the results are not coming.”

“I like seeing the potential because I see that I also have it. I think I would be more worried if I was three or four tenths off Alex [Albon] every weekend and not being able to match his pace, seeing him getting P6s, P7s, P5s, picking up all the points, and me just struggling for pace at the back. But the fact that I am sometimes quicker, sometimes within the same tenth, sometimes one tenth slower than Alex every weekend, I know I can get the same results – sometimes better, sometimes a bit worse.”

“I'm just frustrated that the results haven't been better”;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/sainz...-williams-move


Carlos Sainz identifies fundamental Williams weakness
August 10, 2025
Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
Last Word On Sports

Speaking after the Hungarian GP, Sainz told AS the importance of progressing ahead of 2026: “We have some poor aerodynamic characteristics in long curves, where you need to maintain the load level from entry until halfway through the corner.”

“These things fail us, it’s been a characteristic for a long time, because we perform better in short corners and straights. At tracks like Barcelona, Hungary or Qatar, the car suffers. A change in philosophy is needed in the design, to ensure next year’s car works well at different circuits.”

‘Poor aerodynamic characteristics in long curves’;

https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...iams-weakness/


Carlos Sainz makes new Williams admission with key issue not ‘getting any better’
13 Aug 2025
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Carlos Sainz has admitted that he and Williams are not “getting any better at putting things together” on a race weekend in F1 2025. He conceded that his side of the garage is still struggling with execution on individual grand prix weekends, with the situation not “getting any better” at the moment.

“It’s just getting results and putting things together that has been a struggle since the beginning of the year – and still it doesn’t seem like we’re getting any better at putting things together. “But it will come at some point and, in the meantime, I’ll just keep my head down. I’m pretty sure the result is about to come.”

Sainz has cited the lack of testing time available in modern F1 as a key factor behind his slow adaptation to life at Williams, telling media including PlanetF1.com of his desire to see more pre-season testing.

‘His side of the garage is still struggling’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/carlos...getting-better