Sauber Sees Silver Lining Despite Point-less Season: Bottas and Zhou Show Improvement at Monza

Sauber sees "positive progress" despite Valtteri Bottas not scoring points

Sauber's team leader remains hopeful

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 16th place at the Monza race, finishing two positions before his teammate Guanyu Zhou.

Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant (who recently lost his position at Williams) are the sole Formula 1 drivers in 2024 yet to score any points, while Sauber remains the only team without any points.

Sauber's pair of drivers started from the rear of the grid, so Bottas was given hard tires and sent out for an extended initial stint. However, the team's strategy didn't pay off significantly.

Nevertheless, 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 effectively handled their hard and medium tires, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy and keep wear and tear in check."

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

"We are not yet at the stage where we can compete for points, but it's worth noting that the distance between us and our main rivals has decreased. This is a positive development that we should highlight."

Bottas commented on the race, saying, "It was quite smooth and uneventful for us. We opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, in an attempt to try something different and potentially benefit from the timing of a possible Safety Car."

"Regrettably, things didn't turn out as we had hoped, but I believe it was worthwhile to make the attempt."

Reflecting on the progression of the race, I wouldn’t change a thing: we moved up a few spots on the track, reaching P16 fairly, but that was honestly the best outcome 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 advancements. Nonetheless, this weekend was definitely better than our experience in Zandvoort. We have a lot to focus on to make further progress, and we'll be dedicating our efforts to that 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 race that was smooth and free of interruptions or major surprises."

"Although our speed showed noticeable progress compared to the previous 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 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 best outcome.

"Instead of depending on chance, our team concentrates on diligently working to achieve those vital fractions of a second that will edge us nearer to breaking into the top ten."

Sauber is set to transition into Audi next year, though they will keep their existing branding for now.

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a contract with Haas for the 2025 season, putting Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in a position where they must compete fiercely to keep their spots in Formula 1.

The only available driving positions for the upcoming season are with Sauber and RB.

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