Sauber Shows Signs of Progress Despite Point-Less Streak: Optimism Remains High as Bottas and Zhou Battle On

Sauber sees "positive indicators" despite Valtteri Bottas not scoring points

Sauber team leader maintains there's 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 sole 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 rear of the grid, prompting the team to equip Bottas with hard tires to maximize his initial stint. However, these strategies did not yield significant results.

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

He stated that although the final standings appear similar to earlier races, the team's performance showed some encouraging signs.

"Each driver successfully handled their hard and medium tires, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy as tire wear remained manageable."

"Naturally, we're still not fast enough to compete for points: however, the low-drag package we introduced at Monza and the adjustments made for qualifying enhanced the car's balance, allowing Valtteri and Zhou to contend."

“We have a lot of work to do before we can compete for points, but it’s worth noting that today we’ve managed to close the gap with our main rivals. This is a positive development that deserves recognition.”

Bottas commented on the race, saying it was smooth and without incidents for the team. They opted for a single pit stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, as they aimed to take a different approach and possibly benefit from the timing of a Safety Car.

"Regrettably, our attempt didn't succeed, but I believe it was worthwhile to make the effort."

Reflecting on the race's progression, there isn't anything I would alter: we advanced a few spots purely based on performance, reaching P16, but that was truly our limit.

"Our speed hasn't significantly improved; although our weekend began positively, we struggled to maintain that momentum and make substantial gains. Nevertheless, this weekend was definitely an improvement over Zandvoort. We have plenty of work to do to make further progress, which will be our focus as we prepare for the upcoming back-to-back races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou commented that their speed today was insufficient to compete for points, particularly in a straightforward race without any major interruptions or surprises.

"Our speed was definitely better than it was last weekend in Zandvoort, but we still lag behind our main rivals in terms of performance."

Over the weekend, we've noticed some progress in our single-lap speed. However, it's evident that we must pinpoint the car's optimal performance settings and deliver a perfect weekend to achieve the best outcome.

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

Next year, Sauber will progress further in their transformation into Audi, although they will keep their existing identity.

Haas has signed Nico Hulkenberg for the 2025 season, which means Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are fighting to keep their spots in Formula 1.

The only teams that still have open slots for drivers next season are Sauber and Red Bull.

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