Sauber Shows Signs of Progress Despite Point-less Stint at Monza: Optimism Amid Challenges

Clean team notices "encouraging indicator" even as Valtteri Bottas remains without points.

Clean team leader maintains there is cause for hope.

Sauber thinks they have made progress in catching up to their closest competitors even though they haven't earned any points at 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 holds a position with Williams) are the sole Formula 1 drivers in 2024 who haven't scored any points, with Sauber being the only team in the same situation.

The Sauber team had both of their drivers qualify at the rear of the grid. Consequently, Bottas was equipped with hard compound tires and tasked with running a prolonged initial stint; however, the strategy ultimately proved ineffective.

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

He stated that there were encouraging aspects in the team's performance, despite the final standings appearing similar to those of earlier races.

"Both drivers effectively managed their hard and medium tires, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy while keeping tire wear in check."

"Although we still lack the speed needed to compete for points, the low-drag package introduced at Monza, along with the adjustments made for qualifying, enhanced the car's balance and provided Valtteri and Zhou an opportunity to contend."

"We are not yet at the stage where we can compete for points, but it's essential to recognize that we've made progress today by narrowing the gap with our main rivals. This is a positive development that we should highlight."

Bottas commented on the race, saying: "It was a straightforward race for us without many incidents. We opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, aiming to try a different approach and possibly benefit from the timing of a Safety Car."

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

Reflecting on the race, I have no regrets about my choices: we advanced several spots based on our performance, reaching 16th place, but that was truly our limit.

"We didn't achieve significant improvements in speed. Although our weekend began positively, we struggled to maintain that momentum and make further gains. However, it was definitely an improvement over our performance in Zandvoort. We have considerable work to do to make additional progress, and we'll be focusing on that as we prepare for the upcoming consecutive races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou mentioned that their speed today was insufficient to contend for points, particularly in a race that progressed smoothly without any interruptions or significant surprises.

"Although our speed has notably improved since last weekend in Zandvoort, we still lag behind our main rivals in terms of performance."

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

"Instead of depending on chance, our team is dedicated to staying focused and working diligently to shave off those vital fractions of a second that will help us break into the top ten."

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

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a spot with the Haas team for the 2025 season, leading to a fierce competition between Bottas and Zhou to retain their positions in Formula 1.

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

Explore Further

Breaking News

Breaking News

Site Directory

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

Reproducing any portion or entirety of this text, including images and illustrations, is strictly prohibited.