Sauber’s Optimism Amid Struggles: Bottas and Zhou Eye Progress Despite Point-less Season

Clean team sees "encouraging signal," though Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Team principal emphasizes 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 any points at the F1 Italian Grand Prix.

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

Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant (who no longer holds his position with Williams) are the only Formula 1 drivers in 2024 who haven't scored any points. Sauber is the only team in the same situation.

Both Sauber drivers qualified at the end of the pack, so Bottas was given hard tires and tasked with running the longest initial stint. However, the team's strategy ultimately proved to be ineffective.

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

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

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

Certainly, it is still insufficient to compete for points since we lack overall speed. However, the low-drag package introduced at Monza and the adjustments made to the setup for qualifying have enhanced the car's balance, providing Valtteri and Zhou with an opportunity to compete.

"We still have a significant way to go before we can compete for points, but it's crucial to note that we've made progress today by narrowing the gap with our main rivals. This is a positive development worth highlighting."

Bottas commented on the race, saying, "It was a smooth and straightforward 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 for a favorable Safety Car timing."

"Regrettably, things didn’t go as planned, but I believe it was beneficial to make the attempt."

Reflecting on the events of the race, I realize I wouldn't change a thing: we managed to move up a few spots based on our performance, reaching 16th place, but that was truly the best outcome we could achieve.

"We didn't see significant improvements in our speed. Although our weekend began positively, we struggled to maintain that energy and make substantial progress. Nonetheless, this weekend was definitely better than Zandvoort. We have plenty of work to do to advance further, and we'll focus on that as we prepare for the upcoming consecutive races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou stated, "Our speed today was insufficient to compete for points, particularly in a race that was straightforward and free of disruptions or major surprises."

"Our speed has definitely gotten better since last weekend's race in Zandvoort, but we're still lagging behind our main rivals in terms of performance."

Over the weekend, we noticed a better performance in terms of single-lap speed. However, it's evident that we need to fine-tune the car and have a perfect weekend in order to achieve the optimal outcome.

“Our team prioritizes hard work and dedication over luck, striving to shave off those vital fractions of a second that will help us break into the top ten.”

Next year, Sauber will transform further into Audi, but they will maintain their present identity.

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

The only two available driving spots left for the next season are with Sauber and RB.

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