Sauber Sees Positive Signs Despite Point-less Streak: Bottas and Zhou Struggle to Stay in F1

Sauber sees "positive indicators" though Valtteri Bottas has yet to score points

Sauber's team principal maintains there are grounds for hope

Sauber is confident that they have narrowed the distance to their closest competitors, even though they failed to earn any points at the F1 Italian Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas secured 16th place at Monza, outperforming his teammate Guanyu Zhou by two positions.

Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant (who no longer holds a position with Williams) are the sole Formula 1 drivers in 2024 who have not scored any points. Additionally, Sauber is the only team without points.

Sauber's drivers ended up at the rear of the grid in qualifying. Consequently, Bottas started the race on hard tires, aiming for an extended first stint, but these strategies did not yield significant results for the team.

Despite the situation, team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi remains hopeful.

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

"Each driver successfully handled their hard and medium tires, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy and keep tire wear in check."

"Although we are still not fast enough to compete for points, the low-drag package introduced at Monza along with the adjustments made for qualifying have enhanced the car's balance, allowing Valtteri and Zhou to contend."

"We have much progress to make before we can compete for points, but it's crucial to recognize that today the distance between us and our main rivals has lessened – this is a promising indication that needs to be highlighted."

Bottas reflected on the race, saying it was straightforward and without incidents. He explained that they opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, in an attempt to try a different approach and possibly benefit from a well-timed Safety Car intervention.

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

Reflecting on the way the race played out, I wouldn't change a thing: we managed to overtake a few competitors, earning a 16th place finish through our own efforts, but that was truly the best we could achieve.

"Our speed hasn't significantly improved. While our weekend began positively, we struggled to maintain that momentum and didn't see much progress. However, this weekend was definitely better than our experience at Zandvoort. We have plenty of work to do to make further advancements, 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 wasn’t sufficient to compete for points, particularly in a straightforward race without any disruptions or major surprises."

"Although our speed has noticeably improved since 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 one-lap speed, but it's evident that we must fine-tune the car's performance and deliver a perfect weekend to achieve the optimal outcome.

"We prioritize diligent effort over luck, concentrating on honing our skills to gain those vital fractions of a second needed to break into the top ten."

Next year, Sauber will keep progressing towards becoming Audi, though they will retain their present form.

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a contract with Haas for the 2025 season, putting pressure on Bottas and Zhou to fight for their spots and avoid being cut from Formula 1 entirely.

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

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