Sauber Sees Silver Lining at Monza Despite Point-less Streak: Boss Bravi Optimistic About Progress

Clean team detects a "hopeful indication," yet Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Clean team leader maintains there is cause for hope

Sauber is confident that they have reduced the distance between themselves and 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 Monza, finishing two spots in front of his teammate Guanyu Zhou.

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, and Sauber is the only team in the same situation.

Sauber’s pair of drivers ended up qualifying at the rear of the grid, leading the team to equip Bottas with hard tires to extend his initial stint as long as possible. However, these tactics proved to be mostly ineffective.

Nonetheless, team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi remains hopeful.

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

"Each driver successfully managed their hard and medium tires, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy and keep degradation in check."

Certainly, this isn't sufficient to compete for points yet, as we are still lacking in overall speed. However, the low-drag setup introduced at Monza and the adjustments made for qualifying have enhanced the car's balance, providing Valtteri and Zhou with 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 a positive indication that needs to be highlighted."

Bottas commented on the race, stating, “It was a straightforward and calm 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 the timing of a Safety Car.”

"Regrettably, things didn't go as planned for us, but I believe it was beneficial to make the attempt."

Reflecting on the race, I believe I made all the right choices: we managed to move up a few spots, earning a 16th place finish through our own efforts, but that was realistically the best we could achieve.

"We didn't see significant improvements in our speed. Although our weekend began positively, we struggled to maintain that momentum and make substantial progress. Nonetheless, this weekend was definitely an improvement over our performance in Zandvoort. We have a considerable amount of work to do to advance further, and we'll be focusing on that as we prepare for the upcoming races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou commented, “Our speed today wasn’t sufficient to compete for points – particularly in a straightforward race with no disruptions or major surprises.”

"Although we have certainly improved our speed since the previous weekend in Zandvoort, we are still lagging behind our main rivals in terms of performance."

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

Instead of depending on luck, our team is dedicated to concentrating and working diligently to shave off those vital fractions of a second that will help us reach the top ten.

Sauber will progress towards becoming Audi next year, although they will keep their existing identity.

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a contract with Haas for the 2025 season, putting pressure on Bottas and Zhou to fight for their spots and avoid being cut from Formula 1 entirely.

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

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