Sauber Spots Positive Signs Amid Point-less Struggle at Italian Grand Prix

Clean team sees "hopeful indication" but Valtteri Bottas yet to score

Clean team leader maintains there are grounds for positive outlook

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

Valtteri Bottas secured a 16th place finish at the Monza race, outperforming his teammate Guanyu Zhou by two positions.

Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant (who is no longer with Williams) are the only Formula 1 drivers in 2024 who have not scored any points, while Sauber is the only team yet to do so.

Sauber's pair of drivers secured positions at the rear of the grid, leading to Bottas being equipped with hard tires and tasked with enduring the longest initial stint. However, the team's strategy did not yield significant results.

Nevertheless, Alessandro Alunni Bravi, the team spokesperson, maintains that there is a sense of hope.

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

"Each driver effectively handled their tyres, both hard and medium compounds, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy and keep tyre wear in check."

"Naturally, this isn't sufficient to compete for points yet, as we're still missing overall speed. However, the low-drag adjustments we introduced at Monza and the modifications we made to the setup for qualifying enhanced the car's balance, providing Valtteri and Zhou with an opportunity to contend."

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

Bottas commented on the race, saying, "Our race was quite smooth and without incidents; we opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, as we aimed to try a different approach and hoped for favorable timing with a possible Safety Car."

"Sadly, it didn't turn out as we had hoped, but I believe it was worthwhile to make the attempt."

Reflecting on the progression of the race, I wouldn't change a thing: we managed to advance a few spots through our performance, reaching 16th place fairly, but that was truly the best we could achieve.

"We didn't see significant improvement in our speed. Although the weekend began positively, we struggled to maintain our initial momentum and make noticeable advancements. Nevertheless, it was definitely an improvement over our performance in Zandvoort. We have a substantial amount of work to do to make further progress, and that's what we'll be focusing on as we prepare for the upcoming consecutive races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou commented: "Our speed today wasn't sufficient to compete for points, particularly in such a straightforward race without any disruptions or major surprises."

"Our speed showed noticeable progress compared to last weekend in Zandvoort, but we remain at a disadvantage in performance relative to our main rivals."

Over the weekend, there has been noticeable progress in our one-lap speed. However, it's evident that to achieve optimal performance, we must fine-tune the car and deliver a perfect performance throughout the weekend.

Instead of depending on chance, our team's strategy is to stay committed and diligently work to shave off those vital fractions of a second that will help us break into the top ten.

Sauber will keep progressing towards becoming Audi next year, although they will maintain their existing identity for now.

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a contract with Haas for 2025, putting pressure on Bottas and Zhou to fight to keep their spots in Formula 1.

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

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