One F1 driver could now earn his team an unexpected £19m windfall thanks to his impressive 2025 form

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The 2025 Formula 1 season has seen quite the shift in the pecking order, with teams being affected for better or worse.

McLaren have been utterly dominant thus far, with nine wins from a possible 12. Sitting 238 points clear at the top of the constructors’ championship already, the Woking outfit look almost guaranteed to win both titles in 2025.

Ferrari are second ahead of Mercedes and Red Bull, but have been struggling to find top performance from the SF-25, being the only top-four not to win a race, excluding Sprints.

However, Ferrari are about to make a ‘quantum leap’ with their rear suspension upgrade. It is what Lewis Hamilton has been calling for all season, and it could be just what he needs to perform in the second half of the season and into the 2026 F1 regulations.

Williams are the best of the rest at the moment, but the Grove outfit have hit a torrid run of form with just three points from the last four races. They are beginning to face pressure from Sauber, Racing Bulls and Aston Martin behind.

Nico Hulkenberg could earn Sauber a £19m windfall in 2025 with his impressive form

Sauber have been one of the surprise packages of 2025. After scoring just four points in 2024, the Hinwil-based outfit have made huge strides forward under the guidance of team principal Jonathan Wheatley.

The team looked to have made a breakthrough towards the end of last season and have continued to make improvements ever since. A major upgrade to the floor in Barcelona has now given Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto a car that can regularly fight for points.

The former has scored points in the last four races, with the latest Grand Prix marking history for him and Sauber. Hulkenberg grabbed his first F1 podium at Silverstone after 239 races in the sport.

Marking Sauber’s first podium in 13 years, the team have now moved to sixth in the standings, 18 points behind Williams. Having finished rock bottom in 2024, the Hinwil outfit are in for some significant financial gains if they can stay there.

In a report from Blick, Sauber are set to make ‘well over $100 million’ (roughly £74m) in 2025, provided they can stay clear of any ‘major setback’. The team earned $74 million (roughly £55m) from finishing last in 2024, giving them a huge £19m windfall in just 12 months.

READ MORE: Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg’s life outside F1 from wife to height

Nico Hulkenberg’s performances will be massive for Audi when they join F1 in 2026

Hulkenberg and Sauber’s performances in 2025 could not have come at a better time. The team are going through a transitional period as Audi are set to take over in 2026 as a works team.

Audi are going ‘full throttle’ for 2026 behind the scenes as they prepare their power unit for the new regulations. Sauber have now copied Ferrari by using their wind tunnel exclusively for next season’s car.

Audi will want to be competitive from the off in F1, and Hulkenberg and Bortoleto are helping to give them the foundations to do just that. An extra £19m will be huge, especially for a new manufacturer, to improve development and catch the frontrunners.

The German manufacturer may already be there before receiving their split of the prize pool in 2025. ‘Everyone’ thinks Audi’s engine will be stronger than Ferrari’s, with high optimism surrounding the team before their arrival.