Sauber Sees Progress Despite Point-less Finish at Monza; Bottas and Zhou Remain Optimistic for Future F1 Battles

Clean team sees "good indication," but Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Clean team leader maintains there are grounds for hope

Sauber is confident that they have narrowed 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, outpacing his teammate Guanyu Zhou by two spots.

Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant (who no longer holds a position with Williams) are the sole Formula 1 drivers in 2024 yet to score a point, with Sauber being the only team still without any points.

Sauber's drivers started from the rear of the grid, prompting the team to equip Bottas with hard tires and keep him on the track for an extended initial stint. However, these tactics ultimately proved to be mostly ineffective.

Nonetheless, team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi maintains a sense of hope.

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

"Each driver effectively handled both hard and medium tyres, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy with minimal tyre wear."

"Naturally, we still don't have the speed needed to compete for points. However, the low-drag package we introduced at Monza, along with the adjustments we made for qualifying, enhanced the car's balance, providing Valtteri and Zhou an opportunity to compete."

"We have a considerable way to go before we can compete for points, but it's essential to recognize that we've made progress today by narrowing the gap with our main rivals. This is a positive development that should be highlighted."

Bottas commented on the race: "It was a smooth and straightforward race for us. We opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, as we aimed to try something different and hoped we would benefit from a well-timed Safety Car."

"Regrettably, things didn't turn out as we had hoped, but I believe it was worthwhile to attempt it."

Reflecting on the race, I wouldn't change a thing: we managed to move up a few spots and secured 16th place through our own efforts, but that was truly the best outcome we could achieve.

"We didn't see significant improvements in our speed. Although the weekend began on a positive note, we struggled to maintain that momentum and make substantial gains. However, it was definitely an improvement over our performance at Zandvoort. We have considerable work to do to advance further, and we'll be focusing on that as we prepare for the upcoming consecutive races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou stated, "Our speed today wasn't sufficient to compete near the points, particularly in a race that went smoothly without any disruptions or major surprises."

“Although our speed showed noticeable progress from last weekend's race 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, but it's evident that we need to fine-tune the car and have a perfect weekend to achieve the optimal outcome.

Instead of depending on luck, our team is dedicated to staying focused and working diligently to shave off those vital fractions of a second needed to break into the top ten.

Next year, Sauber will progress further in their transformation into Audi, yet they will keep their existing identity.

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a contract with Haas for 2025, putting pressure on Bottas and Zhou to fight for their places in Formula 1.

The only teams with open spots for drivers next season are Sauber and RB.

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