Sauber Sees Positive Signs Despite Point-less Streak: Bottas and Zhou Remain Optimistic in Challenging F1 Season

Clean team sees "hopeful indicator" but Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Clean team 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 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.

In 2024, Bottas, Zhou, and Logan Sargeant—who is no longer with Williams—are the only F1 drivers yet to score any points. Additionally, Sauber is the only team that hasn't earned a point.

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, this strategy did not yield significant results for the team.

Nonetheless, team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi remains hopeful.

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

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

"Certainly, our current speed isn't sufficient to compete for points, but the low-drag configuration we introduced at Monza, along with the adjustments we made for qualifying, enhanced the car's balance and provided Valtteri and Zhou with an opportunity to contend."

"We're not yet in a position to compete for points, but it's worth noting that we've made progress in closing the gap with our main rivals – this is an encouraging development we should highlight."

Reflecting on the race, Bottas commented: "The race was quite smooth and uneventful for us. We opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, as we aimed to try a different approach and hoped to benefit from the timing of a possible Safety Car."

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

Reflecting on the race, I wouldn't change any of our decisions. We managed to improve our position to P16 through our efforts, but that was the best achievable outcome.

"We haven't seen significant improvement in our speed. Although our weekend began positively, we struggled to maintain that pace and didn't make considerable advancements. Nevertheless, it was an improvement over our performance at Zandvoort. We have a lot of tasks to tackle to make further progress, 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 compete for points, especially in a straightforward race without any disruptions or major surprises."

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

Over the weekend, there was some progress in our single-lap speed. However, it is evident that we need to fine-tune the car and ensure a perfect performance throughout the weekend to achieve the best outcome.

Instead of depending on luck, our team is dedicated to working diligently to shave off those vital fractions of a second that will help us break into the top ten.

Sauber is set to transform into Audi next year, though they will keep their existing form for now.

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a seat with Haas for the 2025 season, putting Bottas and Zhou in a position where they must compete to maintain their places in Formula 1.

Sauber and Red Bull are the only teams with unfilled driver positions for the upcoming season.

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