Sauber Shows Glimmers of Hope Amid Point-less Season as Bottas and Zhou Struggle at Monza

Sauber sees "encouraging signs" even though Valtteri Bottas is yet to score points

Sauber's team leader maintains that there are grounds for hope

Sauber is confident they have reduced the distance to their closest competitors, even though they have yet to score any points in the F1 Italian Grand Prix.

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

Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant (who no longer has his position with Williams) are the only Formula 1 drivers in 2024 who haven't scored a single point, with Sauber being the only team in the same situation.

Sauber's pair of drivers started from the rear of the grid, with Bottas equipped with a hard compound tire to run an extended first stint. However, the team's strategy was mostly ineffective.

Nevertheless, team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi remains hopeful.

He stated that although the final standings might appear similar to those of past races, there were encouraging aspects in the team's performance.

"Each driver successfully managed their hard and medium tires, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy and keep tire degradation in check."

Certainly, we are still not in a position to compete for points due to our overall speed deficiency. However, the low-drag package we introduced at Monza, along with the adjustments we made for qualifying, enhanced the car's balance, providing Valtteri and Zhou with an opportunity to contend.

"We are not yet at the stage where we can compete for points, but it's crucial to note that the difference between us and our main rivals has lessened today – this is an encouraging development that we should highlight."

Bottas commented on the race, stating, "It was a smooth and straightforward race for us; we opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, as we aimed to try something different and hoped the timing of a possible Safety Car would work in our favor."

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

Reflecting on the race's progression, I wouldn't change a thing: we managed to advance several spots through our performance, reaching 16th place on our own merits, but realistically, that was the best outcome we could achieve.

"We haven't seen a significant improvement in our speed. Although our weekend began on a positive note, we struggled to maintain that momentum and didn't make much headway. Nevertheless, this weekend was definitely an improvement over Zandvoort. We have a lot of work to do to make further progress, and that's what we'll focus on 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 position closer to earning points, particularly in a straightforward race without interruptions or major surprises."

"Our speed showed clear progress compared to last weekend in Zandvoort, but we are still lagging behind our main rivals in terms of performance."

Over the weekend, we noticed a bit of progress in our one-lap speed. However, it's evident that we must pinpoint the car's optimal performance and ensure a perfect execution throughout the weekend to achieve the best outcome.

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

Sauber will transition into Audi next year, but they will keep their present identity.

Nico Hulkenberg, who is with Haas, has secured a contract for 2025, putting Bottas and Zhou in a position where they must compete to keep their spots in Formula 1.

The only two open driver positions for the next season are with Sauber and Red Bull.

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