Sauber Sees Silver Lining Despite Point-less Streak: Bottas and Zhou Optimistic After Monza

Sauber sees "positive indications," but Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Sauber's team leader asserts 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 any points at the F1 Italian Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas secured the 16th position at Monza, while his teammate Guanyu Zhou finished in 18th place.

In 2024, the only F1 drivers without any points are Bottas, Zhou, and Logan Sargeant (who no longer has his Williams seat), and Sauber stands alone as the only team yet to score.

Sauber's pair of drivers secured the last positions in qualifying. Bottas was given hard tires and tasked with running the longest initial stint, but the team's strategy did not yield significant results.

Yet, team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi remains hopeful.

He asserted that the team's performance showed some encouraging signs, despite the final standings appearing similar to earlier races.

"Both drivers effectively handled their hard and medium tyres, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy with minimal wear and tear."

"Naturally, we still don't have the speed needed to compete for points. However, the low-drag package introduced at Monza and the adjustments made for qualifying enhanced the car's balance, providing Valtteri and Zhou with an opportunity to be competitive."

"We are still far from being competitive for points, but it's worth noting that today we have managed to close the gap with our main rivals – this is an encouraging development that should be highlighted."

Bottas commented on the race: "It was quite straightforward and without much happening for us; we opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning on the hard tires, as we aimed to try a different approach and hoped to benefit from a timely Safety Car."

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

Reflecting on the race's progression, I wouldn't change a thing: we moved up a few spots on the track, reaching 16th place through our own efforts, but that was truly the best we could achieve.

"Our speed hasn't shown significant improvement; although our weekend began on a positive note, we struggled to maintain that momentum and make substantial gains. Nonetheless, it has been a better showing than what we had in Zandvoort. We have a considerable amount of work to do to advance further, and that's what we'll be focusing on before the upcoming consecutive races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou mentioned that their speed today wasn’t sufficient to compete for points, particularly in an uninterrupted race without major incidents or surprises.

"Although our speed was noticeably better than it was last weekend in Zandvoort, we are still lagging behind our main rivals in terms of performance."

Over the weekend, there has been a noticeable enhancement in our single-lap speed. However, it is evident that we need to optimize the car's performance and have an impeccable weekend to achieve the best outcome.

"Instead of depending on chance, our team is dedicated to staying focused and working diligently to shave off those vital fractions of a second that will move us nearer to breaking into the top ten."

Next year, Sauber is set to transition into Audi, but they will retain their existing identity.

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 remain in Formula 1.

The only two teams with open spots for drivers next season are Sauber and Red Bull.

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