Sauber Sees Positive Signs Amid Struggles: Bottas and Zhou Aim for Points Despite Monza Setback

Sauber identifies a "positive sign" despite Valtteri Bottas not scoring points

Sauber chief remains hopeful

Sauber is confident that they have reduced 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 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 not scored a single point, with Sauber being the only team also in this position.

Sauber's pair of drivers started from the rear of the grid, prompting the team to equip Bottas with hard tires for an extended initial stint. However, these strategies ultimately proved to be mostly ineffective.

Nonetheless, the team's spokesperson, Alessandro Alunni Bravi, maintains a sense of hope.

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

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

“Certainly, this is still insufficient for competing for points, as we lack overall speed: however, the low-drag configuration we introduced at Monza along with the adjustments made during qualifying enhanced the car's balance, providing Valtteri and Zhou an opportunity to compete.”

"There is still a considerable distance to cover before we can compete for points, but it's crucial to recognize that the gap between us and our main rivals has decreased today – this is a positive development that should be highlighted."

Bottas reflected on the race, saying, "It was a straightforward and smooth race for us. We opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, in an attempt to try a different approach and potentially benefit from the timing of a Safety Car."

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

Reflecting on the race's progression, I wouldn't change a thing: we managed to overtake a few competitors, ultimately securing 16th place on our own merit, but that was truly the best outcome we could achieve.

"We didn't see significant gains in speed; although our weekend began positively, we struggled to maintain that initial momentum and saw little improvement. Nevertheless, this weekend was definitely better than our performance at Zandvoort. We have considerable work to do to make additional progress, and we'll be focusing on this as we prepare for the upcoming consecutive races in Baku and Singapore."

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

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

"Over the weekend, there has been some progress in our single-lap speed, but 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 chance, our team prioritizes diligent effort and persistence to shave off those essential fractions of a second that will move us nearer to breaking into the top ten."

Sauber is set to progress into Audi in the upcoming year, although they will keep their present 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 stay in Formula 1.

There are only two open driver positions left for the upcoming season, which belong to Sauber and Red Bull.

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