Sauber Sees Silver Lining Despite Pointless Streak: Bottas and Zhou Battle On

Sauber sees "encouraging indication" but Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Sauber leader maintains there are grounds for hope

Sauber is confident that they have reduced the distance to their closest competitors, even though they did not secure any points at the F1 Italian Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas secured the 16th position at Monza, outpacing his teammate Guanyu Zhou by two spots.

Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant (who is no longer with Williams) are the sole F1 drivers in 2024 yet to score any points, with Sauber being the only team without points as well.

Sauber's two drivers started from the rear of the grid, prompting the team to equip Bottas with hard tires and attempt an extended initial stint. However, the strategy did not yield significant results.

Nevertheless, team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi remains optimistic.

He asserted that despite the results looking similar to previous races on paper, the team showed some encouraging signs in their performance.

"Each driver successfully handled their hard and medium tyres, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy with no unexpected wear and tear."

"Certainly, this isn't yet sufficient to compete for points since we are still lacking in overall speed. However, the low-drag package we introduced at Monza, along with the setup adjustments made for qualifying, enhanced the car's balance and provided Valtteri and Zhou with an opportunity to compete."

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

Bottas commented on the race, saying: "It was a straightforward and calm race for us. We opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, as we aimed to try a different approach and hoped a Safety Car might come out at a favorable time."

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

Reflecting on the way the race played out, I have no regrets about my actions: we managed to move up a few spots, ultimately securing 16th place through our efforts, but that was truly our limit.

"We didn't see significant improvements in our speed. Although we had a promising start to the weekend, we struggled to maintain or build on that progress. However, this weekend was definitely better than our time at Zandvoort. We have plenty of work to do to make further advancements, and we'll focus 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 contend for a higher position, particularly in a straightforward race without disruptions or significant surprises."

"Although we showed better speed than we did last weekend in Zandvoort, our performance still lags behind that of our main rivals."

"Over the weekend, there has been progress in our single-lap speed, but it's evident that we must identify the car's optimal performance point and carry out a perfect weekend to achieve the best outcome."

"Instead of depending on fortune, our team is dedicated to diligently working to gain those vital fractions of a second that will move us nearer to the top ten."

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

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a deal with Haas for the 2025 season, putting pressure on Bottas and Zhou to fight for their places in Formula 1.

Sauber and Red Bull are the only teams with open driver slots for the upcoming season.

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