F1
Sauber Sees Silver Lining Despite Point-less Monza Finish: Boss Stresses Optimism Amid F1 Struggles
Sauber sees "positive indication" yet Valtteri Bottas remains without points
Sauber leader maintains there's cause for hope
Sauber is confident that they have narrowed the distance to their closest competitors, even though they have yet to earn a point at the F1 Italian Grand Prix.
Valtteri Bottas secured the 16th position at Monza, outperforming his teammate Guanyu Zhou by two spots.
Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant (who is no longer with Williams) are the only Formula 1 drivers in 2024 to have not scored any points, and Sauber is the only team in the same situation.
Sauber's drivers started from 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 did not yield significant results.
Nevertheless, team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi remains hopeful.
He stated that despite the results not appearing significantly different from earlier races, there were encouraging aspects in the team's performance.
"Both drivers effectively handled their hard and medium tyres, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy and maintain controlled tyre degradation."
"Naturally, this isn't sufficient to compete for points yet, as we're still missing overall speed. However, the low-drag configuration we introduced at Monza, along with the adjustments made for qualifying, enhanced the car's balance and provided Valtteri and Zhou with an opportunity to contend."
"We're not yet in a position to consistently compete for points, but it's worth noting that we've made progress in closing the gap with our main rivals. This is an encouraging development that we should highlight."
Bottas commented on the race, saying, "It was a straightforward and calm race for us. We opted for a one-stop strategy, kicking off with the hard tires, as we aimed to try a different approach and hoped for a favorable Safety Car timing."
"Regrettably, things didn’t turn out as we hoped, but I believe it was worthwhile to make the attempt."
Reflecting on how the race played out, I wouldn't change a thing: we managed to move up a few spots, reaching 16th place through our own efforts, but that was honestly the best we could achieve.
"We didn't see significant improvements in speed. Although our weekend began positively, we struggled to maintain that progress and didn't make much headway. Nonetheless, this weekend was definitely an improvement over Zandvoort. We have considerable work to do to take the next step, and we will be focusing on this as we prepare for the upcoming consecutive races in Baku and Singapore."
Zhou commented: "Our speed today wasn't sufficient to compete for points, particularly in a straightforward race 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 performance."
Over the weekend, there has been an uptick in our single-lap speed, but it's evident that we need to fine-tune the car's performance and deliver a perfect weekend to achieve the optimal outcome.
"Instead of depending on luck, our team is dedicated to diligently working to shave off those vital fractions of a second that will help us break into the top ten."
Sauber is set to transition 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 keep their positions in Formula 1.
The only teams with open driver positions for the next season are Sauber and Red Bull.
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