Jacques Villeneuve Slams Sauber’s Lack of Effort as Team Struggles at the Back of the Grid

Jacques Villeneuve has expressed disapproval towards his former F1 team, Sauber, accusing them of lacking effort. "They do not seem to be making any serious attempts to be competitive, so there is little else to comment on," he remarked.

Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 Formula 1 world champion, has criticized his old team, Sauber, accusing them of lacking effort in being competitive as they prepare for Audi’s entry in 2026.

The sole team on the 2024 F1 grid that has not yet earned any points is Sauber.

The team from Switzerland frequently observes their drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, starting in 19th and 20th positions during qualifying, only to end up finishing near the back of the pack on race day.

Although Bottas began the season on a strong note, frequent issues during pit stops repeatedly prevented him from earning points.

As the development race continued, Sauber fell to the end of the lineup, trailing behind teams such as Alpine and Williams.

Starting in 2026, Audi is set to assume control of the Sauber team, establishing itself as an independent factory team.

Nevertheless, Villeneuve, who had formerly competed for the team back when they were associated with BMW, was very direct in his criticism of them before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

"The interesting thing about Sauber is that, while they often find themselves at the back during both qualifying sessions and races, the time gap is quite small. They are usually only about a second or a second-and-a-half behind the pole position," he explained.

"While it's clear that the car isn't inherently bad for a Formula 1 vehicle, it falls short when compared to its competitors. Back in the 1990s, being five seconds slower than the leaders would have been acceptable."

“They’re merely getting by until Audi steps in. It doesn’t appear that they’re investing a lot of effort into the vehicle.”

"They're hardly making an effort to compete, so there's really not much to discuss."

Sauber has not yet made a decision regarding their roster of drivers for the 2025 Formula 1 season.

Earlier this year, Nico Hulkenberg was confirmed, but the new head of Audi, Mattia Binotto, is considering his alternatives.

Bottas is still a strong candidate for them, and they are said to be evaluating McLaren's young talent, Gabriel Bortoleto.

Bortoleto leads the Formula 2 championship standings with one round remaining in the 2024 season.

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