Sauber Finds ‘Positive Signs’ Despite Point-less Season as Bottas and Zhou Struggle to Make Impact

Clean team sees “good indication” but Valtteri Bottas yet to score

Clean team leader maintains there’s cause for hope

Sauber is confident that they have narrowed the distance to their closest competitors, even though they have yet to earn a point at the Italian Grand Prix in F1.

Valtteri Bottas secured the 16th position at the Monza race, outperforming his teammate Guanyu Zhou by two spots.

Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant (who no longer holds a seat with Williams) are the only Formula 1 drivers in 2024 who have yet to score any points, with Sauber being the only team without points as well.

Sauber's drivers started from the rear of the grid, leading the team to equip Bottas with hard tires and extend his initial stint as long as possible. However, these strategies didn't yield significant results.

Nonetheless, Alessandro Alunni Bravi, the team spokesperson, remains hopeful.

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

"Both drivers effectively managed their hard and medium tires, which enabled us to stick to our pre-race strategy with degradation kept in check."

"Naturally, we're still not competitive enough to earn points because our overall speed isn't sufficient. However, the low-drag configuration we introduced for Monza, along with the adjustments we made for qualifying, enhanced the car's balance and provided Valtteri and Zhou with an opportunity to compete."

"We're not yet in a position to compete for points, but it's crucial to recognize that we've made progress in closing the gap with our main rivals – this is a promising development that we should highlight."

Bottas commented on the race, saying, "It was a smooth and uneventful race for us. We opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, as we aimed to try something different and hoped to benefit from a possible Safety Car at the right moment."

"Regrettably, things didn't go as planned for us, but I believe it was worthwhile to make the attempt."

Reflecting on the way the race played out, I have no regrets about my decisions: we managed to advance a few places on the track, reaching 16th position through our own efforts, but that was truly the best we could achieve.

"We didn't see significant improvements in our speed. Our weekend began positively, but we struggled to maintain that pace and didn't make much headway. Nevertheless, it was a better performance than in Zandvoort. There's a lot to be done to make further progress, and we'll focus on that as we prepare for the upcoming back-to-back races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou mentioned that their speed today wasn't sufficient to compete for points, particularly during a straightforward race without disruptions or significant surprises.

"Although our speed showed significant progress compared to last weekend in Zandvoort, we are still lagging behind our main rivals in terms of overall performance."

Over the weekend, there has been some progress in single-lap speed. However, it’s evident that we must identify the car's optimal performance zone and deliver a perfect performance throughout the weekend to achieve the best outcome.

“Our strategy is not based on luck; instead, we are committed to diligent work to shave off those vital tenths of a second that will move us nearer to achieving top ten positions.”

Next year, Sauber will progress further in their transformation into Audi, but they will maintain their existing structure.

The Haas team has secured Nico Hulkenberg for the 2025 season, putting Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in a position where they are fighting to stay in Formula 1.

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

Discover More

Recent Updates

Recent Updates

Website Map

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

It is prohibited to reproduce any part or the entirety of the text, photographs, or illustrations in any manner.