Sauber Finds Silver Linings Amid Point-less Struggle: Bottas and Zhou Show Signs of Progress at Monza Despite Challenges

Sauber Sees Encouraging Signs Despite Valtteri Bottas' Lack of Points

Sauber Leader Stresses Reasons to Stay Positive

Sauber is confident that they have narrowed the distance to their closest competitors even though they have yet to earn any points at the Formula 1 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 is no longer with Williams) are the sole Formula 1 drivers in 2024 who have yet to score any points. Sauber stands as the only team in the same predicament.

Sauber's drivers started from the rear of the grid, with Bottas using hard tires to run an extended initial stint. However, the team's strategy didn't yield significant results.

Nevertheless, the team's spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi remains hopeful.

He stated that, despite the final standings appearing similar to those of earlier races, there were encouraging aspects in the team's performance.

"Each driver effectively managed both the hard and medium tyres, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy and keep tyre wear in check."

Certainly, this isn't yet sufficient for competing for points, as we still lack speed overall. However, the low-drag setup we introduced at Monza, along with the adjustments we made for qualifying, enhanced the car's balance. This provided Valtteri and Zhou with an opportunity to contend.

“We are not yet in a position to compete for points, but it’s significant to recognize that the distance between us and our main rivals has decreased – this is an encouraging development that we should highlight.”

Bottas commented on the race, saying, "It was a straightforward and calm race for us. We opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, as we aimed to try a different approach and hoped for favorable timing with a possible Safety Car."

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

Reflecting on the way the race played out, there’s nothing I would change: we earned a few spots during the race, reaching 16th place based on our performance, but that was truly the best outcome we could achieve.

"We didn't see significant improvements in our speed. Although our weekend began on a positive note, we struggled to maintain that momentum and make substantial advancements. Nonetheless, this weekend has been an improvement over our performance in Zandvoort. We have a considerable amount of work to do to make further progress, and that will be our focus as we prepare for the upcoming back-to-back races in Baku and Singapore."

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

"Our speed has definitely improved since last weekend in Zandvoort, but we are still lagging behind our main rivals in terms of performance."

Over the weekend, there has been a noticeable enhancement in our one-lap speed. However, it's evident that we must pinpoint the car's optimal performance and deliver an impeccable performance throughout the weekend to achieve the best outcome.

"Instead of depending on chance, our team is dedicated to keeping our heads down and working diligently to gain those vital fractions of a second that will move us nearer to the top ten."

Sauber is set to transition into Audi next year, although they will keep their existing identity for now.

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a position with Haas for the 2025 season, putting Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in a battle to keep their spots in Formula 1.

Sauber and Red Bull are the only teams with open driver slots for the next season.

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