Sauber Sees Silver Lining Despite Point-less Season as Bottas and Zhou Struggle at Monza

Clean team sees "hopeful indication" despite Valtteri Bottas remaining without points

Clean team leader asserts 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 Formula 1 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 (who is no longer with Williams) are the only Formula 1 drivers in 2024 who haven't scored any points. Additionally, Sauber is the only team without any points.

The two Sauber drivers secured positions at the rear of the grid, prompting the team to equip Bottas with hard tires in an attempt to maximize his initial stint. However, their strategy ultimately proved ineffective.

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

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

"Both drivers successfully managed their hard and medium tyres, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy while keeping tyre wear in check."

"Naturally, our current speed isn’t sufficient to compete for points: however, the low-drag configuration we introduced at Monza and the adjustments we implemented for qualifying enhanced the car’s balance, providing Valtteri and Zhou with an opportunity to contend."

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

Bottas commented on the race, saying it was quite smooth and uneventful for their team. They opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, in an attempt to try something new and possibly benefit from the timing of a Safety Car.

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

Reflecting on the way the race played out, I have no regrets about my decisions: we managed to move up a few spots, achieving 16th place through our efforts, but that was truly the best we could have accomplished.

"We didn't see significant improvements in speed this weekend. Although we had a strong start, we struggled to maintain our performance and didn't make much progress. However, this weekend was definitely better than Zandvoort. We have a lot of work ahead to make further advancements, and we'll be focusing on that as we prepare for the upcoming back-to-back races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou commented, "Our speed today wasn't sufficient to compete for points, particularly in a race that proceeded smoothly without any disruptions or major surprises."

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

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

Instead of depending on luck, our team is dedicated to diligently working to uncover the essential fractions of a second needed to inch closer to the top ten.

Sauber is set to transform into Audi next year, though they will retain their present identity.

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a spot with Haas for the 2025 season, which puts Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in a tough position as they compete 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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