Sauber Sees Silver Lining Despite Point-Less Season: Bottas and Zhou Show Progress at Monza

Sauber identifies "positive indications," yet Valtteri Bottas remains without points.

Sauber's team 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 a point 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 no longer holds his position 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.

Sauber's pair of drivers started from the rear of the grid, with Bottas equipped with hard tires to attempt the longest initial stint. However, the team's strategy was mostly ineffective.

Nevertheless, spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi maintains that there is a sense of hope.

He stated that although the final standings might appear similar to past 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 sufficient to compete for points yet, as our overall speed is lacking. However, the low-drag package we introduced at Monza and the adjustments we made for qualifying have enhanced the car's balance, providing Valtteri and Zhou an opportunity to compete."

"We're not yet in a position to compete for points, but it's crucial to recognize that today we've made progress in closing the gap with our main rivals – this is a positive development worth highlighting."

Bottas commented on the race, saying, "It was a smooth and quiet race for us; we opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, in the hopes of trying something new and possibly benefiting from a well-timed Safety Car."

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

Reflecting on the progression of the race, I wouldn't alter our strategy; we advanced a few spots through our own efforts, reaching the 16th position, which was realistically the best outcome for us.

"We didn’t make significant strides in speed. Initially, our weekend looked promising, but we struggled to maintain that momentum and couldn’t achieve substantial improvements. Nonetheless, it was definitely better than our performance at Zandvoort. We have considerable work to do before the upcoming consecutive races in Baku and Singapore to take another step forward."

Zhou commented: "Our speed today wasn't sufficient to compete for points, particularly in a straightforward race that lacked any disruptions or significant surprises."

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

Over the weekend, there was a noticeable boost in our single-lap speed. However, it's evident that we must fine-tune the car's performance and deliver a perfect weekend to achieve the optimal outcome.

Instead of depending on luck, our team concentrates on diligently working to shave off those essential fractions of a second that will move us nearer to breaking into the top ten.

Sauber is set to transition into Audi next year, but they will keep their existing identity for the time being.

Haas has secured Nico Hulkenberg for the 2025 season, putting Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in a fight to keep their places in Formula 1.

The only teams with open driving positions for next season are Sauber and Red Bull.

Explore Further

Breaking News

Recent Updates

Website Map

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

It is prohibited to fully or partially replicate text, images, or drawings in any manner.