F1 team principal issues apology to driver after Hungarian Grand Prix nightmare

Jonathan Wheatley, generic, 2025, Bahrain GP — Photo: © IMAGO

Hungarian Grand Prix

F1 team principal issues apology to driver after Hungarian GP nightmare

Jonathan Wheatley has been very honest about an issue at Sauber in Hungary

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 1 August 2025 18:57

Sauber F1 team principal Jonathan Wheatley has issued an apology to one of his drivers following a disastrous start to this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.

During Friday's first practice session, rookie driver Paul Aron only managed nine laps of running in Nico Hulkenberg's F1 car before experiencing a technical issue.

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Aron is on loan to Sauber from Alpine's reserve driver pool for the purpose of filling their mandatory rookie drives for 2025, after a new rule came in for this season that means every team must field a rookie in each of their F1 cars twice during the campaign.

The Estonian has now stepped in for Hulkenberg in FP1 on two separate occasions, piloting his Sauber to P17 in FP1 at Silverstone last month.

His second run in Hulkenberg's car hardly went to plan however, finishing last down in P20 behind temporary team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after FP1, Sauber team boss Wheatley said: "I just wanted to pass on first of all my apologies to Paul, he was so excited about this opportunity and we shouldn’t forget giving these young drivers an opportunity in a free practice session is fantastic for them, it’s what their entire career has led them to.

"I think it’s a real shame that we weren’t able to deliver for him today."

Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg will be hoping Sauber's FP1 issues don't impact Sunday's Hungarian GP

Sauber plagued by mystery technical issues in Hungary

The ex-Red Bull sporting director then went on to discuss the issues Sauber experienced with both cars in Friday’s first practice session, after Bortoleo's run time was also significantly impacted due to an issue with his own car.

After FP1, Wheatley admitted: "We had a technical issue across both cars, different issues on the cars.

"As I stand here now I don’t fully understand them but we’ll get to the bottom of it, we always do."

Having missed out on one of this weekend's three practice sessions to make way for Aron, Hulkenberg will be hoping the issue does not persist with his machinery for the remainder of the grand prix weekend.

Last time he missed a session at the British GP, it clearly did not harm to his grand prix chances, with the German driver finally claiming his first podium in the sport in Silverstone later that weekend.

Thanks to his major points haul, Sauber now sits in sixth place in the constructors' standings, but with the most competitive midfield the sport has seen in years, a persisting technical issue in Hungary could seriously set the team back ahead of the summer break.

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