Sauber’s Glimmer of Hope Amidst a Challenging Season: Optimism Persists Despite Lack of Points

Sauber identifies encouraging indicator, yet Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Sauber chief maintains there are grounds for hope

Sauber is confident that they have narrowed the difference between themselves and their closest competitors, even though they have yet to secure any points at the F1 Italian Grand Prix.

At the Monza race, Valtteri Bottas secured the 16th position, outperforming his team member Guanyu Zhou by two spots.

In the 2024 Formula 1 season, Valterri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and the now-former Williams driver Logan Sargeant stand out as the only racers yet to earn any points. Similarly, Sauber is the sole team that hasn't secured any points either.

Sauber's pairing ended up qualifying at the rear, leading to Bottas being equipped with a hard tire for an extended initial stint, though the team's endeavors ultimately yielded little success.

Nonetheless, team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi maintains a level of hopefulness.

"He asserted that despite the team's finishing spots not appearing significantly better than in past races on paper, there were encouraging indicators in their performance."

"Each driver successfully handled their tyre wear, whether using hard or medium compounds, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy as tyre degradation remained manageable."

Certainly, it remains insufficient for competing effectively due to our overall speed deficit. However, the introduction of a low-drag configuration for Monza, along with adjustments to the setup for the qualifying rounds, enhanced the vehicle's stability, providing both Valtteri and Zhou with an opportunity to contend.

"There's still a considerable path we need to tread to effectively compete for points, yet it's crucial to recognize that, as of now, the distance between us and our closest rivals has diminished – this is an encouraging indicator we ought to highlight."

Bottas shared his thoughts on the race, stating, "For us, it was a fairly smooth and straightforward race; we opted for a single-stop strategy, kicking off with the hard tires, in an attempt to differentiate our approach and possibly benefit from a well-timed Safety Car intervention.

"Regrettably, our efforts didn't yield the desired results, but I believe it was worthwhile to attempt it."

Reflecting on the progression of the race, I wouldn't change a thing about our approach: we managed to climb a few spots during the race, securing the 16th place rightfully, but ultimately, that was the peak of what we were capable of achieving.

"Our advancement in speed hasn't been significant; the weekend kicked off on a positive note for us, but we struggled to maintain our initial pace or achieve notable improvements. Nevertheless, it was an improvement over our performance in Zandvoort. We recognize the need for considerable effort to progress further, and that's our focus as we prepare for the upcoming consecutive races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou mentioned, "Today, our speed wasn't sufficient for competing nearer to scoring positions, particularly in a race that went smoothly, without any disruptions or significant surprises."

"Although we've made strides since our last outing in Zandvoort, we're still lagging behind our immediate rivals in terms of performance."

Over the weekend, there has been noticeable progress in the car's performance for individual laps. However, it's evident that achieving the optimal setup for the vehicle and ensuring a perfect race weekend is crucial for securing the best outcome.

"Instead of depending on chance, our collective effort is centered on diligently striving to uncover the vital fractions of a second that can propel us nearer to the top ten."

Sauber is set to progress into becoming Audi in the upcoming year, although they will still operate under their existing identity for now.

Haas has secured Nico Hulkenberg for their team in 2025, putting both Bottas and Zhou in a tight spot as they fight to keep their positions in Formula 1.

Sauber and Red Bull are the only teams with open driver slots for the upcoming season.

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