Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg retired from the 2025 Italian GP even before the race started following a mechanical issue. The German driver took to the team radio following the command to retire with a 4-word reaction as his race came to an end.Nico Hulkenberg, who has been the lead Sauber driver since the start of the season, has come under pressure from his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto in the last three races. The F1 rookie has been the faster driver in qualifying as well as race trim in the last few races.Hulkenberg faced a similar fate at the Italian GP qualifying, where Gabriel Bortoleto was able to make the Q3 while the German was eliminated in Q2. Nico Hulkenberg lined up P12 for the race start at Monza and was able to get the car running for the formation lap.However, as the formation lap was coming towards the end and the leader started lining up, Nico Hulkenberg was asked by his team to retire the car. The German driver entered the pit lane and retired the car even before the race started.The 38-year-old took to the team radio and responded to the team’s decision to retire the car with,“Oh man! You serious?”While the details about the issue are not out yet, the F1TV commentator and former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer suggested that it was a hydraulic issue. Since it wasn't an issue with a sensor or a software issue, but instead a mechanical failure, the car had to be retired, and not risk any further damage by continuing.Nico Hulkenberg’s teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, started the race in P7, made up a position at the race start, and battled George Russell for P5 before being overtaken by Lewis Hamilton and settling in P7, with his mentor, Fernando Alonso, chasing him.Nico Hulkenberg hailed Sauber’s progress going into the second half of the seasonSauber had one of the slower cars at the start of the 2025 season. The team brought a major upgrade to the Spanish GP, including a major floor update, which changed the team's fortunes. Nico Hulkenberg was able to score the first podium of his F1 career at the 2025 British GP. Hailing the team's progress in the first half of the season, the German said,“I think it's been a very positive first half of the season up until the summer break, obviously since Barcelona we've really managed to turn things around. If you look where we started in winter testing compared to where we are now this is definitely good progress and a lot has happened since.” (via F1)Hulkenberg currently sits P9 in the F1 standings with 37 points to his name.