Sauber Finds Silver Linings in Monza Despite Continuing Point Drought for Bottas

Sauber views progress as a “good indication” despite Valtteri Bottas not scoring points

Sauber chief remains hopeful

Sauber is confident that they have 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 Monza, finishing two spots in front of his teammate Guanyu Zhou.

Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant (who no longer holds his position with Williams) are the sole F1 drivers in 2024 who haven't scored any points, and Sauber is the only team in the same situation.

Sauber's drivers started from the back of the grid, so Bottas was given hard tires and tasked with running the longest initial stint, but the team's strategy didn't pay off much.

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

He stated that there were some encouraging aspects in the team's performance, despite the results on paper appearing similar to past races.

"Both drivers effectively managed the hard and medium tires, which enabled us to stick to our pre-race strategy while keeping tire wear in check."

"Naturally, it’s still insufficient to compete for points due to our overall speed deficit. However, the low-drag configuration we introduced for Monza, along with the adjustments made for qualifying, enhanced the car's balance and provided Valtteri and Zhou an opportunity to contend."

"We have a significant way to go before we can compete for points, but it's worth noting that we've closed the gap with our main rivals today – this is an encouraging development that we should highlight."

Bottas shared his thoughts on the race, stating, "The race was quite smooth and uneventful for us. We opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, in an attempt to try something different and possibly benefit from a well-timed Safety Car."

“Regrettably, things didn’t go as planned, but I believe it was worthwhile to attempt it.”

Reflecting on the progression of the race, I believe I wouldn't change any of our actions. We managed to overtake a few competitors and earned a 16th place finish, which was realistically the best outcome we could achieve.

"We didn't see significant improvements in our speed. While our weekend began positively, we struggled to maintain that momentum and saw little progress. Nevertheless, this weekend was definitely an improvement over Zandvoort. We need to put in a lot of effort to make additional advancements, and that's what we'll focus on as we prepare for the upcoming consecutive races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou commented: “Our speed today wasn’t sufficient to compete near the points, particularly in a straightforward race without any disruptions or major surprises.”

“Although our speed was notably better than last weekend in Zandvoort, we are still lagging behind our main rivals in terms of overall performance.

Over the weekend, there was a noticeable gain in single-lap speed. However, it's evident that to achieve optimal results, we must identify the car's optimal performance point and deliver an impeccable performance throughout the weekend.

"Instead of depending on good fortune, our team is concentrated on dedicating ourselves to hard work, aiming to gain those vital fractions of a second that could push us into the top ten."

Sauber is set to transition into Audi next year but will retain their current identity.

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a contract with Haas for 2025, putting pressure on Bottas and Zhou as they fight to stay in Formula 1.

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

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