Sauber unveil their last F1 machine before their transition into Audi's works outfit
The Sauber F1 team has pulled the covers off its 2025 F1 challenger, the C45 which is the last car before the Swiss outfit completes the transition into Audi's works squad.
Sauber unveiled its 2025 F1 car and its brand-new livery at the O2 Arena in London. The C45 was presented by the team’s new driver pairing, Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, who were joined by Chief Operating Officer & Chief Technical Officer, Mattia Binotto, on the stage.
The C45 will take to the track in next week’s Bahrain Pre-Season Test. The engineering team was led by former McLaren's technical chief James Key.
As for the aims, the team noted that it intends to "land into the midfield battle with the new car" which has been "built to fight harder, push further, and take every opportunity that comes its way."
The C45 is a combination of evolution and revolution, with the Hinwil-based outfit stating that "development efforts in this final year of the current regulations focused on a fully re-engineered aerodynamic package, alongside mechanical refinements underneath the bodywork."
The cooling system and a new front and rear suspension architecture have all been addressed. The C45 sporting an improved, sleek livery featuring its now signature black and green.
Following testing in Bahrain, the car will make its race debut in Melbourne on 16 March.
Commenting on the new car, Sauber's COO and CTO Mattia Binotto noted: “The C45 is the culmination of months of dedication and hard work by our entire team. Every department has played a crucial role in developing this car, and we are extremely proud of what we have achieved, but we know this is just the beginning.
"Formula One is a constant race of development, often a case of who gets there first, and our focus will now shifts to extracting performance and building on the strong foundation we have set. We have made significant advancements in aerodynamics, efficiency, and overall balance, all of which will be key in making us more competitive throughout the season.
"At the same time, success is about more than just car performance—it’s about how we operate as a team, how we execute on race weekends, and how we maximise every opportunity. Our goal is clear: to keep improving in every area, to fight hard, and to lay a solid foundation for future growth.”
Commenting on the new car, Sauber's technical director, James Key stated: “It’s always a fulfilling moment when a new car is built and ready to run for the first time, after the many months of hard work, dedication and commitment from every area of the team.
"We have worked hard to drive our C45 development towards both established and new directions, building on what we learned last year with the C44 where we made some significant strides towards the end of the season, and fresh thinking in certain areas to release performance that we could not have found with our previous car.
"All of these steps have taken us forwards with a full revision of our aerodynamics, new front and rear suspension, updated cooling systems, weight reduction and improved & refined mechanical setup options. Of course, the development race never stops and performance is all relative, particularly with such an incredibly tight field, so we already have a plan in place to bring further upgrades early in the season which the team has been working on for some time.
"We are confident that the C45 represents a step forward and will allow us to be more competitive as we fight for better results in 2025.”
