2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Friday

KICK Sauber F1 Team experienced a productive Friday in Yas Marina, as track action began for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The C45s of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto claimed spots in the top ten in both practice sessions as the season finale got underway. It was a promising start to the weekend as the team aims to bring this season to an end strongly.

With one further hour of fine-tuning ahead of the team tomorrow, the focus shifts to qualifying under the Emirati lights.

Nico Hulkenberg (car number 27):

FP1: 5th / 1:24.629 (28 laps)

FP2: 5th /1:23.550 (28 laps)

“It was a clean Friday for us, with no interruptions or problems on our side. It felt positive out there, and it’s nice to carry that good feeling into the weekend. Now, it’s about fine-tuning and dialling out the last little bits as we look to keep this momentum over the next 48 hours.”

Gabriel Bortoleto (car number 5):

FP1: 7th / 1:24.742 (29 laps)

FP2: 6th / 1:23.570 (28 laps)

“Overall, today has been quite positive. There’s obviously still some fine-tuning to do ahead of tomorrow, but it was quite productive as we focused on understanding the balance in both high-fuel and low-fuel runs. It’s encouraging to see our car in those positions, even though it’s obviously still only Friday. We’ll keep pushing and aim to maximise our performance in qualifying tomorrow.”