Sauber Sees Progress Despite Point-less Italian GP: Bottas and Zhou Aim to Close Gap to Rivals

Sauber identifies "positive indication" though Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Sauber chief maintains that there is cause 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 F1 Italian Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas secured the 16th position at the Monza race, while his teammate Guanyu Zhou finished two spots behind him.

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. Additionally, Sauber is the sole team without any points.

Sauber's two drivers secured the last positions in qualifying, leading to Bottas starting on hard tires and attempting an extended initial stint, but the team's strategy ultimately proved ineffective.

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

He stated that the team's performance showed some encouraging signs, even if their final standings appeared similar to those in earlier races.

"Each driver successfully handled their hard and medium tires, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy with minimal degradation."

"Naturally, this isn't sufficient to compete for points since we don't have the necessary speed overall: however, the low-drag configuration introduced at Monza along with the adjustments made for qualifying enhanced the car's balance, providing Valtteri and Zhou with an opportunity to contend."

"We are not yet in a position to compete for points, but it's crucial to note that the distance between us and our main rivals has decreased – this is an encouraging development that deserves recognition."

Bottas commented on the race, saying, "The race was smooth and without any significant events for our team. We opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, in an attempt to try something different and potentially benefit from the timing of a possible Safety Car."

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

Reflecting on the progression of the race, I wouldn't change a thing: we managed to move up a few spots legitimately, reaching 16th place, but that was truly the best we could achieve.

"Our speed hasn't significantly improved. Although our weekend began positively, we struggled to maintain that initial energy and didn't see much progress. Nevertheless, this weekend has been better than our experience in 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 back-to-back races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou commented: "Our speed today was insufficient to compete for points, particularly in a race that went smoothly without any disruptions or major surprises."

"Although our speed has definitely improved since last weekend's race in Zandvoort, we are still lagging behind our main rivals in terms of overall performance."

Over the weekend, there was noticeable progress in our one-lap speed. However, it's evident that we still need to fine-tune the car and have a perfect performance throughout the weekend to achieve the optimal outcome.

"Instead of depending on luck, our team is dedicated to working diligently to gain those vital fractions of a second that can move us nearer to the top ten."

Sauber is set to transition into Audi next year, although they will keep their existing identity.

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a contract with the Haas team for the 2025 season. As a result, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are now competing fiercely to keep their places in Formula 1

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

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