Sauber Sees Positive Signs Despite Point-less Finish at Monza: Optimism Amid Challenges for Bottas and Zhou

Sauber sees “encouraging indication” yet Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Sauber's leader maintains there is cause for hope

Sauber is confident that they have reduced the distance to their closest competitors, even though they have yet to earn a point 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 a position with Williams—are the sole Formula 1 drivers in 2024 who haven't scored any points. Additionally, Sauber stands as the only team yet to earn a point.

Sauber’s pair of drivers started from the rear of the grid. Bottas was equipped with hard tires and assigned to run an extended initial stint, but the team’s strategy didn’t pay off much.

Nevertheless, team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi remains hopeful.

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

"Each driver successfully managed both hard and medium tires, which enabled us to adhere to our pre-race strategy and keep tire wear within expected limits."

“While we still don't have the speed to compete for points, the low-drag package we introduced at Monza along with the adjustments made for qualifying enhanced the car's balance, allowing Valtteri and Zhou to be more competitive.”

"We still have a long road before we can compete for points, but it's crucial to recognize that we've made progress today by narrowing the gap with our main rivals. This is a positive development that deserves to be highlighted."

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

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

Reflecting on the sequence of events during the race, I wouldn't change any of my actions. We managed to overtake several competitors and achieved a 16th place finish through our own efforts, but that was realistically the best outcome we could have hoped for.

"We haven't seen significant improvements in our speed. Although our weekend began positively, we struggled to maintain the momentum and didn't make much progress. Nonetheless, this weekend was definitely better than our experience at Zandvoort. We have considerable work to do to take the next step forward, and we'll be focusing on that as we prepare for the upcoming consecutive races in Baku and Singapore."

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

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

Over the weekend, we noticed some progress in our one-lap speed. However, it's evident that we must identify the car's optimal performance range and deliver a perfect performance throughout the weekend to achieve the best outcome.

“Instead of depending on chance, our team is dedicated to staying focused and working diligently to gain those vital fractions of a second that will move us nearer to the top ten.”

Sauber will persist in their transformation into Audi next year, while retaining their existing identity.

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

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

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