F1
Sauber Sees Progress Despite Point-less Monza Finish: Boss Stresses Optimism Amid Bottas and Zhou’s Struggles
Sauber notices "encouraging signal," yet Valtteri Bottas remains without points
Sauber's 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 Monza, while his teammate Guanyu Zhou finished two spots behind him.
Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant—who has recently been replaced at Williams—are the only Formula 1 drivers in the 2024 season who have not scored any points. Additionally, Sauber is the sole team yet to earn a point.
Sauber's drivers secured the last positions on the grid, prompting the team to equip Bottas with hard tires and keep him on the track for an extended initial stint. Despite these strategies, the team's attempts were mostly unsuccessful.
Yet, spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi remains hopeful.
He stated that despite the final standings appearing similar to earlier races, the team's performance showed some encouraging indications.
"Each driver successfully handled their hard and medium tyres, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy while keeping tyre wear in check."
"Certainly, it's still insufficient to compete for points since our overall speed is lacking. However, the low-drag package we introduced for Monza and the adjustments we made for qualifying enhanced the car's balance, giving Valtteri and Zhou an opportunity to contend."
"We have a considerable distance to cover before we can compete for points, but it's crucial to recognize that the gap between us and our main rivals has narrowed today – this is an encouraging development that deserves emphasis."
Bottas commented on the race, saying: "It was a straightforward and calm race for us. We opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, as we aimed to try a different tactic and hoped to benefit from a possible Safety Car."
"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 have no regrets: we managed to overtake a few competitors and earned a P16 finish, which was realistically the best outcome we could achieve.
"We didn't see significant improvements in our speed; although our weekend began on a positive note, we struggled to maintain that momentum or make substantial progress. Nevertheless, this weekend was definitely an improvement over Zandvoort. We have a lot of work to do to take the next step forward, and that's what we'll focus on as we prepare for the upcoming back-to-back races in Baku and Singapore."
Zhou mentioned that their speed today wasn’t sufficient to contend for points, particularly in a straightforward race without any disruptions or major surprises.
"Our speed has definitely improved since last weekend in Zandvoort, but we are still lagging behind our main rivals in terms of performance."
Over the weekend, we've noticed some advancements in our speed for individual laps. However, it's evident that we need to fine-tune the car and deliver a perfect performance throughout the weekend to achieve the optimal outcome.
“Our team prioritizes diligent effort over luck, consistently striving to shave off those essential fractions of a second that edge us nearer to breaking into the top ten.”
Sauber is set to transition into Audi next year, although they will keep their present form for now.
Nico Hulkenberg has secured a contract with Haas for the 2025 season, putting Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in a tough battle to stay in Formula 1.
The only two teams with open driver positions for the next season are Sauber and Red Bull.
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