Sauber's 2025 Driver Lineup Spotted in New Livery In Possible Sponsor Leak

Saajan Jogia | Jan 29, 2025

Nov 21, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu of China (24) drives during practice for the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix at the Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Sauber's 2025 team livery may have been unintentionally leaked by sponsor CODE-ZERO on its official website, featuring the new driver lineup of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. The livery retains a similar black and neon green color scheme from last season.

CODE-ZERO has been partnering with the Hinwil outfit since 2021 and has listed merchandise on sale under the 'Teamwear 2025' section.

The 2025 season is the last season where the team will retain the Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber branding, given Audi's takeover of the team by 2026.

The Code-Zero website has given us a first look of the Sauber team kit for 2025 👀

What do you think? 🤔#F1 @StakeF1Team_KS pic.twitter.com/2UAajO8UIw

— Decalspotters (@decalspotters) January 29, 2025

Sauber parted ways with Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas after the 2024 season following a lackluster campaign due to the lack of effective development on the car that left the team with just four points. The last year also saw the team undergo a considerable transformation in management.

The onboarding of Mattia Binotto, who will perform the dual roles of chief technical officer and chief executive officer by replacing the old leadership was a big move by the German outfit, which reportedly concluded its takeover of Sauber in recent weeks.

Binotto pointed out the state of affairs within the team after his arrival last year, revealing that it was "frozen." He said:

“Everything was only focused on ’26, but that was for me somehow a problem because I think that a team needs always to fight on track. 

“It’s only by fighting, competing on track, that you can understand how good you’re doing and if whatever you’re doing is going the right direction.

“You need to understand performance. You need to understand weaknesses and strengths, and you need as well to address them. And that’s the real know-how of a team.

“When I joined in August, really, it was like a team that was almost frozen.”

He added:

“How important the current season was was not only about not finishing with zero points, because finishing 10th with zero or 10th with four points does not change much.

“But it was more for us to make sure that we have defined the proper direction of development for next season as well – and being energised through the wintertime.

“Today, I can see a team that is more convinced on what’s required, what’s necessary for next season, and hopefully we can further develop the current car.”

The former Ferrari team boss was instrumental in signing Red Bull's sporting director Jonathan Wheatley as its new team principal. Wheatley is expected to take over his new role on April 1 and will form a dual management structure alongside Binotto.