Sauber Spots Progress Despite Point-less Finish at Monza: Bottas and Zhou Show Glimmers of Hope Amidst F1 Struggles

Clean team sees “good indication” though Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Clean team leader asserts there’s cause for hope

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

Valtteri Bottas secured 16th place at the Monza race, finishing two positions in front of his teammate Guanyu Zhou.

Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant—who is no longer with Williams—are the only Formula 1 drivers in 2024 who haven't scored any points. Additionally, Sauber is the only team yet to earn a point.

Sauber's drivers started from the back of the grid, leading the team to equip Bottas with hard tires to maximize his initial stint. However, their strategy didn't yield significant results.

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

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

"Each driver effectively managed both hard and medium tyres, which enabled us to stick to our pre-race strategy while keeping tyre wear in check."

"While this isn't sufficient to compete for points yet, since we are still lacking in overall speed, the low-drag package we introduced at Monza along with the adjustments made for qualifying enhanced the car's balance, allowing Valtteri and Zhou to have a fighting chance."

"We are not yet in a position to compete for points, but it is worth noting that the distance between us and our main rivals has lessened today – this is an encouraging development that we should highlight."

Bottas commented on the race: "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 something different and hoped for favorable timing with a possible Safety Car."

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

Reflecting on the way the race played out, I wouldn't change a thing: we moved up several spots on the track and earned a P16 finish, but that was truly the best we could achieve.

"We haven't seen significant improvements in speed. Although our weekend started off positively, we struggled to maintain that momentum and didn't make much progress. Nonetheless, this weekend was certainly better than our experience in Zandvoort. We have considerable work ahead to take the next step, and we'll be focusing on this as we prepare for the upcoming races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou stated: “Our speed today wasn't sufficient to contend for points, particularly in a straightforward race without any disruptions or major surprises.”

"Although our speed has noticeably advanced since the previous weekend's event in Zandvoort, we still lag behind our main rivals in terms of overall performance."

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

Instead of depending on luck, our team's strategy is to remain dedicated and work diligently to shave off those essential fractions of a second that will help us break into the top ten.

Sauber is set to further transform into Audi next year while retaining their existing identity.

Haas has secured Nico Hulkenberg for the 2025 season, putting pressure on Bottas and Zhou to fight for their positions in Formula 1.

Only Sauber and Red Bull still have open driver slots for the upcoming season.

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