Sauber Sees Silver Linings Despite Point-less Streak: Bottas and Team Eye Improvement After Monza

Sauber sees "positive indications" but Valtteri Bottas has yet to score points

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

Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant (who no longer holds a position with Williams) are the only Formula 1 drivers in 2024 yet to score any points, with Sauber being the only team in the same situation.

Sauber's drivers started from the back of the grid, with Bottas being equipped with hard tires to run the longest initial stint possible. However, the team's strategy ultimately proved ineffective.

Nevertheless, team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi remains hopeful.

He stated that despite the final placements not appearing significantly different from earlier races, there were encouraging aspects in the team's performance.

"Each driver successfully maintained their hard and medium tires, enabling them to stick to the pre-race strategy while keeping wear and tear in check."

"Certainly, this isn't sufficient to compete for points due to our overall speed deficit. However, the low-drag package introduced at Monza and the adjustments made for qualifying enhanced the car's balance, providing Valtteri and Zhou an opportunity to contend."

"We're not yet at the stage where we can consistently compete for points, but it's worth noting that we've made progress in closing the gap with our main rivals – this is a promising development that deserves recognition."

Bottas commented on the race, saying, "For us, it was a straightforward race without much happening; we opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, in an attempt to try something different and possibly benefit from a well-timed Safety Car."

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

Reflecting on the race's progression, I have no regrets: we advanced a few spots through our own efforts, reaching 16th place, but that was truly our limit.

"We didn't see significant improvements in our speed this weekend. Although things began promisingly, we struggled to maintain our initial progress and didn't see much enhancement overall. Nevertheless, this weekend was definitely an improvement over our performance in Zandvoort. We recognize that we have a lot of work to do to make further advancements, and we'll be focusing 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 compete nearer to the points, especially in a race that went smoothly without any disruptions or major surprises."

"Although our speed showed a noticeable improvement compared to last weekend in Zandvoort, we are still lagging behind our main rivals in terms of performance."

Over this weekend, there has been noticeable progress in our single-lap speed. However, it's evident that we must fine-tune the car's performance and deliver an impeccable weekend to achieve the optimal outcome.

"Instead of depending on fortune, our team prioritizes diligent effort and persistent work to shave off those vital fractions of a second that will edge us nearer to the top ten."

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

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

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

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