Sauber Finds Silver Linings in Monza Despite Pointless Finish: Bottas and Zhou Eye Future Improvements

Sauber identifies "encouraging indication" though Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Sauber chief maintains there are grounds for hope

Sauber thinks they have reduced the distance to their closest competitors even though they haven't earned any points at the F1 Italian Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas secured the 16th spot at Monza, outperforming his teammate Guanyu Zhou by two positions.

Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant (who no longer holds his position with Williams) are the only Formula 1 drivers in 2024 who haven't scored any points, with Sauber being the sole team yet to earn any points.

Sauber's pair of drivers started from the back of the grid, prompting the team to equip Bottas with hard tires and keep him out for an extended initial stint. However, these strategies did not yield significant results.

Nonetheless, team spokesman Alessandro Alunni Bravi maintains a sense of hope.

He stated that, despite the final standings appearing similar to past races, there were encouraging aspects in the team’s performance.

"Each driver successfully managed their hard and medium tires, which enabled us to stick to our pre-race strategy and keep tire wear in check."

“While it's true that we're still not competitive enough to score points due to our general lack of speed, the low-drag package introduced at Monza and the adjustments made for qualifying 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 the difference between us and our main rivals has decreased today – this is an encouraging indication that we should highlight."

Bottas commented on the race, stating, "It was a straightforward and calm race for us. We opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, in an attempt to try something unconventional and potentially benefit from the timing of a possible Safety Car."

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

Reflecting on the race's progression, I realize I wouldn't change a thing: we managed to move up a few spots on the track and earned a P16 finish through our own efforts, but that was genuinely the best we could achieve.

"We haven't seen significant improvements in our speed. Although we began the weekend on a positive note, we struggled to maintain that momentum and make substantial progress. Still, this weekend was definitely better than our performance at Zandvoort. We have a lot of work to do to make further advancements, and we'll be focusing on that 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 disruptions or major surprises.”

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

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

Instead of depending on luck, our team concentrates on diligently working to shave off those vital fractions of a second needed to edge closer to the top ten.

Next year, Sauber will progress in their transformation into Audi, although they will keep their existing identity.

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a contract with Haas for the 2025 season, putting Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in a position where they must fight to keep their places in Formula 1.

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

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