Sauber Sees Silver Lining Despite Point-less Streak: Bottas and Zhou Optimistic Amid Performance Gains

Sauber identifies a "positive signal," yet Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Sauber's leader maintains there are grounds 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, finishing two spots in front of his teammate Guanyu Zhou.

Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant (who has recently been replaced at Williams) are the sole Formula 1 drivers in 2024 yet to score any points. Additionally, Sauber is the only team with no points.

Sauber's drivers secured positions at the end of the grid, prompting the team to equip Bottas with hard tires and have him run an extended initial stint. However, these strategies proved to be mostly ineffective.

Nevertheless, the team's spokesperson, Alessandro Alunni Bravi, remains hopeful.

He remarked that the team's performance showed some encouraging signs, despite the final standings appearing similar to those of prior races.

"Each driver successfully maintained their hard and medium tyres, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy and keep tyre wear in check."

Certainly, this doesn't yet suffice for us to compete for points due to our overall speed deficit. However, the low-drag configuration we introduced at Monza, combined with the adjustments made for qualifying, enhanced the car's balance, providing both Valtteri and Zhou an opportunity to contend.

“We have a significant way to go before we can compete for points, but it's crucial to recognize that today the difference between us and our main rivals has decreased – this is an encouraging sign worth noting.”

Bottas commented on the race, saying it was straightforward and without incidents. He mentioned that they opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning on hard tires, in an attempt to try something different and possibly benefit from a well-timed Safety Car.

“Sadly, things didn’t go as planned for us, but I believe it was worthwhile to make the attempt.”

Reflecting on the race's progression, I have no regrets about my decisions. We managed to overtake several competitors, ultimately securing 16th place through our own efforts, but that was realistically the best outcome we could achieve.

"We didn't see significant improvements in our speed. While our weekend began positively, we struggled to maintain that initial momentum and achieve much progress. However, this weekend was definitely better than our experience at Zandvoort. We have a lot of work to do to make more advancements, and we'll be focusing on that as we prepare for the upcoming back-to-back races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou commented that their speed today was insufficient to compete for points, particularly since the race went smoothly without any major disruptions or surprises.

"Although our speed has evidently improved since 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 must identify the optimal performance settings for the car and carry out a perfect series of events to achieve the best outcome.

"Instead of counting on good fortune, our team is dedicated to staying focused and working diligently to shave off 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 maintain their existing identity.

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a contract with Haas for 2025, putting pressure on Bottas and Zhou as they fight to stay in Formula 1.

Sauber and Red Bull are the only teams with open driver spots for the next season.

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