Sauber Sees Silver Lining Despite Scoreless Stint: Optimism Persists Amid F1 Challenges

Sauber identifies encouraging indicators, yet Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Sauber's leader maintains there's cause for hope

Sauber is confident they have narrowed the difference with their closest competitors, even though they haven't yet earned any points at the F1 Italian Grand Prix.

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

In 2024, Bottas, Zhou, and Logan Sargeant, who no longer holds a position with Williams, stand as the sole Formula 1 drivers yet to score any points. Similarly, Sauber is the only team that hasn't managed to earn points.

Sauber's pair started from the rear positions, leading to the decision to equip Bottas with a hard tire for an extended initial run. However, this strategy did not yield significant results for the team.

Nonetheless, team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi maintains a sense of hope.

"He suggested that there were encouraging indicators in the team's performance, despite the final standings not appearing to show significant improvement from past races."

"Each driver effectively handled their tyre usage, both the hard and medium variants, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategic plan with tyre wear kept in check."

Certainly, this hasn't fully met the mark in terms of competitiveness for scoring points, due to an overall deficiency in speed. However, the introduction of a low-drag aerodynamic setup for Monza, coupled with adjustments to the car's setup for the qualifying round, enhanced the vehicle's stability, providing Valtteri and Zhou with an opportunity to contend.

"There's still a considerable distance to cover before we can genuinely compete for points. However, it's worth noting that we've closed the gap with our immediate rivals today – a promising development that deserves emphasis."

Bottas commented on the race, stating, "It was a fairly smooth and straightforward race for us; we opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning on the hard compound tires, aiming to experiment a bit and potentially benefit from the timing of a possible Safety Car scenario.

Regrettably, our efforts did not yield the desired results, but I believe it was worthwhile to make the attempt.

Reflecting on the progression of the race, I believe my approach was optimal: we managed to advance a few spots, reaching 16th place purely based on performance, which was essentially the best outcome possible.

"Our advancement in speed hasn't been significant; while we kicked off the weekend on a high note, maintaining that initial momentum and making considerable improvements proved challenging. Nevertheless, it was definitely a step up from our performance in Zandvoort. We're facing a considerable amount of effort to progress further, which will be our focus as we prepare for the upcoming consecutive races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou stated, “Today, our speed wasn’t sufficient for competing nearer to scoring positions, particularly in a race that went smoothly without any disturbances or significant surprises.”

"Our performance this weekend showed notable progress from our previous outing in Zandvoort, yet we find ourselves trailing behind our main rivals in terms of overall capability."

Over the weekend, there was a noticeable enhancement in the car's performance for single laps. However, it's evident that pinpointing the optimal performance zone for the car and ensuring a perfect weekend are crucial for achieving the best outcome.

"Instead of depending on chance, our team is dedicated to diligently working together to uncover the small yet significant time improvements that will propel us towards the leading ten positions."

Sauber is set to further transform into Audi in the coming year, yet they will keep their existing appearance.

Haas has secured Nico Hulkenberg for the 2025 season, putting Bottas and Zhou in a precarious position to dodge being cut from Formula 1 entirely.

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

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