Optimism Amidst Struggles: Sauber Sees Progress Despite Point-less Finish at Monza

Sauber sees "hopeful indication" though Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Sauber leader maintains there is cause for hope

Sauber are confident they've narrowed the distance to their closest competitors, even though they have yet to earn any points at the F1 Italian Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas secured the 16th position at the Monza race, finishing two spots in front of his teammate Guanyu Zhou.

Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant (who no longer holds his position at Williams) are the sole Formula 1 drivers in 2024 yet to score any points. Meanwhile, Sauber stands as the only team without any points.

Sauber’s drivers started from the rear of the grid, leading the team to equip Bottas with hard tires and keep him on the track for an extended initial stint. However, these strategies proved mostly ineffective.

Despite the situation, team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi remains hopeful.

He stated that although the final standings may seem similar to past races, there were some encouraging aspects in the team's performance.

"Each driver successfully managed their hard and medium tyres, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy while keeping tyre wear in check."

"Certainly, we're still not fast enough to compete for points, but the low-drag package introduced at Monza and the adjustments made for qualifying have enhanced the car's balance, giving Valtteri and Zhou an opportunity to compete."

"We have a considerable distance to cover before we can compete for points, but it's crucial to note that today the gap between us and our main rivals has decreased – this is an encouraging development we should highlight."

Bottas reflected on the race, saying, "Overall, it was a straightforward and calm race for us. We opted for a one-stop plan, beginning with hard tires, in an attempt to try a different approach and possibly benefit from the timing of a Safety Car."

"Regrettably, it didn't turn out well for us, but I believe it was worthwhile to attempt it."

Reflecting on the progression of the race, I wouldn’t change a thing: we managed to move up a few spots, achieving 16th place through our own efforts, but that was truly the best outcome we could achieve.

"We haven't seen significant improvement in our speed. Although our weekend began positively, we struggled to maintain that momentum and didn't see much enhancement overall. Nevertheless, this weekend was definitely better than our experience at Zandvoort. We have a substantial amount of work to do to make further progress, and we'll be focusing on that as we prepare for the upcoming consecutive races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou remarked: "Our speed today wasn't sufficient to compete for points, particularly in a straightforward race without any disturbances or major surprises."

"Although our speed was noticeably better than it was last week at Zandvoort, we are still lagging behind our main rivals in terms of overall performance."

"Over the weekend, there has been some progress in our single-lap speed, but it is evident that we must identify the optimal performance setting for the car and deliver a perfect performance throughout the weekend to achieve the best results."

Instead of depending on good fortune, our team is dedicated to diligently working to shave off those vital fractions of a second that will edge us nearer to the top ten.

Sauber is set to transition into Audi next year, though they will keep their existing form.

Haas has secured Nico Hulkenberg's contract for 2025, which puts Bottas and Zhou in a position where they must fight to keep their spots in Formula 1.

The only two teams with open driver positions for next season are Sauber and Red Bull.

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