F1
Sauber Spot Glimmers of Hope Despite Point-less Finish at Monza
Sauber sees “good indication” but Valtteri Bottas remains without points
Sauber chief maintains optimism
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 the Monza race, while his teammate Guanyu Zhou ended up two spots behind him.
Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant—who no longer holds a position at Williams—are the sole Formula 1 drivers in 2024 yet to score a point, with Sauber being the only team in the same situation.
Both Sauber drivers started from the rear of the grid, prompting Bottas to be equipped with hard tires, allowing him to attempt the longest initial stint possible. Nevertheless, the team's strategy ultimately proved to be ineffective.
Nonetheless, team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi maintains that there is a sense of hope.
He stated that the team's performance showed some promising indicators, despite the final standings appearing similar to earlier races.
"Each driver effectively handled their hard and medium tires, which enabled us to stick to our pre-race strategy and keep tire wear in check."
"Although it's insufficient to contend for points due to our overall lack of speed, the low-drag package introduced at Monza along with the adjustments made for qualifying helped improve the car's balance, providing Valtteri and Zhou an opportunity to compete."
"We're not yet at the stage where we can compete for points, but it's crucial to recognize that we've made progress in closing the gap with our main rivals today – this is an encouraging development that should be highlighted."
In response to the race, Bottas commented, "The race was quite smooth and straightforward for us. We opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, as we aimed to try something different and hoped to benefit from a possible Safety Car at the right moment."
"Regrettably, things didn't go as planned, but I'm glad we made the attempt."
Reflecting on the way the race played out, there’s nothing I would change: we managed to move up a few spots, reaching 16th place through our own efforts, but that was truly the best we could achieve.
"We didn’t see significant improvements in our speed. Although our weekend started positively, we struggled to maintain that momentum and make notable advancements. Nevertheless, this weekend was definitely better than our experience in Zandvoort. We have plenty of work to do to progress further, 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 compete for points, particularly during a straightforward race without any disruptions or major surprises.
"Our speed has definitely gotten better since last weekend's race in Zandvoort, but we are still lagging behind our main rivals when it comes to overall performance."
Over the weekend, there was noticeable progress in our single-lap speed. However, it's evident that we need to fine-tune the car and have an impeccable performance throughout the weekend to achieve the optimal outcome.
Instead of depending on luck, our team is dedicated to staying focused and working diligently to gain those vital fractions of a second that will move us nearer to the top ten.
Sauber is set to transition into Audi next year while retaining their existing identity.
Nico Hulkenberg has secured a contract with Haas for the 2025 season, putting Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in a position where they must compete to remain in Formula 1.
Sauber and Red Bull are the only teams left with open driver spots for the upcoming season.
Explore Further
Recent Updates
Recent Updates
Site Map
Crash.Net
©1999-2024 Crash Media Group
It is prohibited to reproduce any part or the entirety of the text, photographs, or illustrations in any manner.
Discover more from Automobilnews News - The first AI News Portal world wide
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.