Sauber Sees Silver Linings: Bottas and Zhou Struggle for Points Amid Optimism

Sauber sees "good sign," yet Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Sauber's leader claims there are grounds for hope

The Sauber team is confident that they have reduced the distance to 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, outperforming his teammate Guanyu Zhou by two spots.

Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant (who no longer has a seat with Williams) are the only Formula 1 drivers in 2024 who haven't scored any points. Sauber is the only team without any points as well.

Sauber’s pair of drivers secured spots at the rear of the grid, prompting the team to equip Bottas with hard tires and send him out for an extended initial run. However, these strategies proved to be mostly ineffective.

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

He stated that while the final standings may appear similar to earlier races, there were encouraging aspects in the team's performance.

"Each driver successfully maintained their tires, whether hard or medium, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy while keeping degradation in check."

"Naturally, this isn't sufficient yet to contend for points, since we are still missing some overall speed: however, the low-drag package we introduced at Monza and the adjustments we made for the qualifying session have enhanced the car's balance, providing Valtteri and Zhou with an opportunity to compete."

"We're not yet in a position to compete for points, but it's worth noting that today we've managed to close the gap with our main rivals – this is a promising development that we should highlight."

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 for some good fortune with the timing of a possible Safety Car."

“Sadly, it didn’t turn out as we hoped, but I believe it was beneficial to make an attempt.

Reflecting on how the race played out, I wouldn't change a thing: we managed to move up a few spots, reaching 16th place due to our efforts, but that was truly the best we could achieve.

"Our speed hasn't significantly improved; even though our weekend began on a positive note, we struggled to maintain that momentum or make substantial advancements. Nonetheless, this weekend was definitely better than our experience at Zandvoort. We have a considerable amount of work to do to move forward, and we'll focus on that as we prepare for the upcoming races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou commented, "Our speed today wasn't sufficient to compete more closely for points, particularly in a race that was straightforward with no disruptions or major surprises."

"Although our speed was 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 noticeable progress in our single-lap speed. However, it's evident that we must identify the car's optimal performance settings and have a perfect execution throughout the weekend to achieve the best outcome possible.

"Our team prioritizes hard work and determination over luck, striving to shave off those vital fractions of a second that will edge us closer to breaking into the top ten."

Sauber will maintain their current identity next year while progressing towards becoming Audi.

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a contract with Haas for the 2025 season, which puts pressure on Bottas and Zhou to fight for their spots in Formula 1 to avoid being cut.

The only teams with open driver spots for the upcoming season are Sauber and RB.

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