Wheatley on Hulkenberg overtaking Hamilton: 'a pinch yourself moment'

While Hülkenberg earned points in the season opener in Australia under mixed conditions, both he and Sauber had struggled since then, falling behind in a fiercely competitive midfield fight — until now.

Stepping into Barcelona, the team introduced a major upgrade package featuring a revamped floor, revised engine cover, and updated front wing endplates.

Hulkenberg started the race in P16 after an early exit from qualifying, however this resulted in him having a fresh set of soft tyres which the team was able to capitalise on within their strategy. Speaking to GPblog among others, Wheatley noted "Nico proved the class that he is as well... he's not a driver that lacks confidence and he's not a driver that lacks experience. But even this will be a real boost for him."

Hülkenberg made a lightning start, climbing to ninth by the time Andrea Kimi Antonelli retired with a Mercedes engine failure. He then overtook Isack Hadjar and Lewis Hamilton after a late safety car restart, finishing a remarkable sixth — which became fifth following Max Verstappen’s post-race penalty.

When the team principal was asked about the feeling of seeing his driver overtake a Ferrari driven by Lewis Hamilton he responded, "we overtook two Ferraris today, both drivers. Yeah, it was. I mean, honestly, it was a bit of a pinch yourself moment because that was again on pace."