Sauber Spots Improvement Despite Point-less Finish at Monza: Bottas and Zhou Seek to Secure F1 Futures Amid 2025 Shake-up

Clean team sees "encouraging indicator" despite Valtteri Bottas yet to score points

Clean team leader asserts there are grounds for hope

Sauber is confident that they've 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 Monza, finishing two spots in front of his teammate Guanyu Zhou.

In 2024, the only Formula 1 drivers who haven't scored any points are Bottas, Zhou, and Logan Sargeant, who no longer has his spot with Williams. Sauber is the sole team yet to earn any points.

Sauber's pair of drivers started from the rear of the grid, with Bottas equipped with hard tires to extend his first stint. However, the team's strategy yielded minimal results.

Nonetheless, team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi maintains that there is a sense of optimism.

He stated that despite the final standings appearing similar to previous races, the team's performance showed some encouraging signs.

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

"Certainly, this isn't sufficient to compete for points since we still lack overall speed. However, the low-drag package we introduced at Monza, along with the adjustments made for qualifying, enhanced the car's balance. This provided Valtteri and Zhou with an opportunity to contend."

"We are not yet in a position to compete for points, but it’s crucial to note that the distance between us and our main rivals has decreased. This is an encouraging development that deserves recognition."

Bottas commented on the race, stating, "It was a straightforward and calm race for us. We opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, as we aimed to try a different approach and hoped to benefit from a possible Safety Car at the right moment."

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

Reflecting on the course of the race, I have no regrets about my decisions: we managed to advance a few places, securing the 16th position based on our performance, but that was truly the best outcome we could achieve.

"We didn't see significant gains in speed; although our weekend began positively, we struggled to maintain that initial momentum or make substantial improvements. Nevertheless, this weekend was definitely better than our experience in Zandvoort. We have considerable work ahead to advance further, and we'll be focusing on that as we prepare for the upcoming back-to-back races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou stated: "Our speed today wasn't sufficient to compete for points, particularly in a race that went smoothly without any interruptions or major surprises."

The speed we showed this weekend was better than what we managed in Zandvoort, but we still lag behind our main rivals in terms of overall performance.

Over the weekend, there has been noticeable progress in our single-lap speed. However, it's evident that we need to perfectly tune the car and have an impeccable performance throughout the weekend to achieve the best outcome.

"Instead of depending on luck, 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 will undergo further transformation into Audi next year, but they will keep their existing identity.

Nico Hulkenberg, who is currently with Haas, has secured a contract for 2025. This development puts Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in a position where they must compete fiercely to retain their places

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

Explore Further

Recent Updates

Recent Updates

Site Map

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

No part of this text, including photographs and illustrations, may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means.