Sauber Sees Positive Signs Despite Point-less Streak: Bottas and Zhou Aim to Close Gap After Monza

Sauber identifies “optimistic indicator” yet Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Sauber chief maintains there are grounds for hope

Sauber is confident that they have reduced the distance to their closest competitors, even though they have yet to earn any points at the Formula 1 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 is no longer with Williams) are the only Formula 1 drivers in 2024 who haven't scored any points, while Sauber remains the only team yet to do so.

Sauber's pair started from the last positions on the grid, so Bottas was given hard tires and tasked with running the longest initial stint, but the team's strategy was mostly ineffective.

Nevertheless, spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi maintains there is a sense of hope.

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

"Both drivers effectively managed their hard and medium tyres, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy while keeping tyre wear in check."

"Naturally, this isn't yet sufficient to compete for points since we still lack overall speed. However, the low-drag package we introduced at Monza and the adjustments we made for qualifying enhanced the car's balance, providing Valtteri and Zhou an opportunity to contend."

"We have a considerable distance to cover before we can compete for points, but it's crucial to recognize that today the gap between us and our main rivals has narrowed. This is a positive development that we should highlight."

Bottas shared his thoughts on the race, saying, "It was a straightforward and calm race for us; we chose a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, as we aimed to try something different and hoped to benefit from a well-timed Safety Car."

"Sadly, things didn't go as planned, but I'm glad we made the effort to see if it would."

Reflecting on the progression of the race, I have no regrets about my actions: we managed to advance a few spots, reaching 16th place based on our performance, but that was realistically our limit.

"Our speed hasn't significantly improved. Although we began the weekend on a positive note, we couldn't maintain that momentum or make substantial gains. Nevertheless, this weekend was certainly better than our experience at Zandvoort. We have considerable work to do to make further progress, and that's what we'll be focusing on as we prepare for the upcoming consecutive races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou mentioned, "Our speed today was insufficient to contend for points, particularly in a race that proceeded smoothly without any major disruptions or surprises."

"Although our speed showed noticeable progress compared to last weekend in Zandvoort, we are still lagging behind our main rivals in terms of performance."

"Over the weekend, there was noticeable progress in our speed for individual laps. However, it's evident that we must identify the optimal performance settings for the car and deliver a perfect weekend to achieve the best outcome."

"Instead of depending on fortune, our team is dedicated to diligently working to shave off those vital tenths of a second that will help us reach the top ten."

Sauber will progress into becoming Audi next year but will keep their existing form.

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a contract with Haas for 2025, which puts Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in a position where they must compete fiercely to keep their spots in Formula 1.

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

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