Sauber Sees Progress at Monza Despite Bottas’ Point-less Streak: Team Boss Optimistic About Future

Clean team sees "encouraging sign" yet 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 did not 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 no longer has a seat with Williams) are the sole Formula 1 drivers in 2024 who haven't scored any points. Additionally, Sauber is the only team without any points.

Sauber's pair of drivers started from the rear of the grid, leading to Bottas being equipped with hard tires to attempt an extended initial stint. However, the team's strategy was mostly unsuccessful.

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

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."

“While it’s true that 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 have enhanced the car’s balance. This provided Valtteri and Zhou with an opportunity to be more competitive.”

"We have a considerable distance to cover 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 worth highlighting."

Bottas commented on the race, saying it was a smooth and straightforward event for them. They opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, in an attempt to try a different approach and benefit from the possible appearance of a Safety Car.

"Regrettably, things didn't go as planned for us, but I'm glad we made the effort to attempt it."

Reflecting on how the race played out, I have no regrets and wouldn't change a thing: we managed to move up a few spots, earning a P16 finish through our own efforts, but that was truly the best outcome we could achieve.

“We didn't see significant improvements in speed this weekend. Though we began on a positive note, we struggled to maintain that momentum and make substantial gains. Nonetheless, this weekend was definitely better than our experience in Zandvoort. We recognize that considerable effort is needed to make further advancements, and we'll be focusing on that as we prepare for the upcoming back-to-back races in Baku and Singapore.”

Zhou commented, “Our speed today wasn’t sufficient to compete nearer to the points, particularly in a race that was straightforward and free of major disruptions.”

"Although our speed showed a noticeable improvement from last weekend's performance in Zandvoort, we are still lagging behind our main competitors in terms of overall performance."

Over the weekend, we've noticed better performance in single-lap speeds. However, it's evident that we must identify the car's optimal settings and deliver a perfect weekend to achieve the best outcome.

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

Sauber is set to transition into Audi next year while keeping their existing identity intact.

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a contract with Haas for the 2025 season, putting Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in a position where they must compete to ensure they remain in Formula 1.

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

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