Sauber Sees Silver Lining Amid Struggles: Bottas and Zhou Show Signs of Progress Despite Point-less Streak

Sauber identifies a "positive indicator," yet Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Sauber's leader maintains 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, finishing two spots ahead of his teammate Guanyu Zhou.

Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant (recently ousted from his position at Williams) are the sole Formula 1 drivers in 2024 yet to score any points, with Sauber being the only team in the same predicament.

Sauber’s drivers started from the back of the grid, prompting the team to equip Bottas with hard tires for an extended initial stint. However, the strategy ultimately did not yield significant results.

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

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

"Each driver successfully maintained their tires, both hard and medium compounds, which enabled us to stick to our pre-race strategy, keeping tire wear in check."

"Naturally, this isn't sufficient to compete for points yet, as we still lack overall speed. However, the low-drag package we introduced at Monza and the adjustments made to the setup for qualifying enhanced the car's balance, giving Valtteri and Zhou an opportunity to compete."

"We have a significant road ahead before we can compete for points, but it's crucial to recognize that today, the distance between us and our main rivals has decreased – this is a positive development worth highlighting."

Bottas commented on the race, saying, "It was a smooth and uneventful race for us. We opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, in an attempt to try something different and possibly benefit from a timely 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 moved up a few spots on the track, reaching 16th place through our own efforts, but that was truly the best we could achieve.

"We didn't see significant improvements in our speed. Although our weekend began positively, we struggled to maintain that initial progress and make further advancements. Despite this, it was undoubtedly better than our performance at Zandvoort. We have substantial work to do to make the next leap forward, and we'll be focusing on this as we prepare for the upcoming back-to-back events in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou commented that their speed today was insufficient for contending for points, particularly in a race that proceeded smoothly without any major disruptions or surprises.

"Although our speed showed notable progress from the previous weekend in Zandvoort, we are still lagging behind our main rivals in terms of performance."

"This weekend showed a bit of progress in our one-lap speed, but it's evident that we must pinpoint the car's optimal performance and deliver a perfect weekend to achieve the best result."

“Instead of depending on luck, our team is dedicated to staying focused and working diligently to gain those critical tenths of a second that will move us nearer to the top ten.”

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

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a contract with Haas for the 2025 season, putting pressure on Bottas and Zhou as they fight to stay in Formula 1.

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

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