Sauber Sees Light Amidst Struggles: Bottas and Zhou Push for Points in Challenging F1 Season

Sauber sees "encouraging sign," yet Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Sauber's leader maintains hope for improvement

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 16th place 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 a position with Williams) are the sole Formula 1 drivers in 2024 who haven't scored any points, with Sauber being the only team in the same situation.

Sauber's drivers started from the rear of the grid, leading the team to equip Bottas with hard tires to maximize his opening stint. However, these strategies proved to be mostly ineffective.

Nonetheless, team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi maintains that there is a sense of hope.

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

"Each driver effectively managed their hard and medium tires, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy and maintain controlled tire wear."

“Admittedly, we still don't have the speed needed to compete for points, but the low-drag configuration we introduced for Monza and the adjustments made for qualifying enhanced the car's balance, giving Valtteri and Zhou 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 by narrowing the gap with our main rivals. This is a positive development that deserves to be highlighted."

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 attempted a different approach and hoped to benefit from a possible Safety Car at the right moment."

"Regrettably, our attempt wasn't successful, but I believe it was worthwhile to make the effort."

Reflecting on how the race played out, I wouldn't change a thing: we managed to advance a few spots on the track and reached P16 based on our performance, but that was truly the best we could achieve.

"Our speed hasn't seen significant improvement. The weekend started off promising, but we struggled to maintain the momentum and make notable gains. Nonetheless, it was definitely a better performance than what we had in Zandvoort. We have considerable work ahead to make more progress, which will be our focus as we prepare for the upcoming consecutive races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou stated, "Our speed today wasn't sufficient to compete for points, particularly in a race that went smoothly without any disruptions or major surprises."

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

Over the weekend, there has been noticeable progress in our one-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 fortune, our team is dedicated to staying focused and working diligently to shave off those essential fractions of a second that will move us nearer to the top ten.”

Next year, Sauber will transform further into Audi, although they will keep their current identity.

Nico Hulkenberg, currently with Haas, has secured a contract for the 2025 season. This development puts pressure on Bottas and Zhou, who are now fighting to keep their places in Formula 1.

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

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