Sauber’s Optimism Amid Struggles: Bottas and Zhou Fight for Points as Team Eyes Future Improvements

Sauber identifies "encouraging indications," but Valtteri Bottas remains without points.

Sauber's leader asserts there are grounds for a hopeful outlook.

Sauber is confident that they have narrowed 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 Monza, finishing two spots ahead of his teammate Guanyu Zhou.

In 2024, Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant (who no longer has his seat with Williams) are the only Formula 1 drivers who haven't scored any points. Additionally, Sauber is the only team yet to score.

Sauber’s pair of drivers started from the rear of the grid, so Bottas was given hard tires and tasked with running the longest initial stint, but the strategy ultimately proved ineffective.

Nonetheless, team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi remains hopeful.

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

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

"Despite these improvements, our speed is still insufficient to compete for points. However, the low-drag configuration we introduced for Monza and the adjustments made for qualifying enhanced the car's balance, providing Valtteri and Zhou an opportunity to contend."

"We have significant progress to make before we can compete for points, but it's crucial to recognize that the distance between us and our main rivals has decreased today – this is a positive development worth highlighting."

Bottas commented on the race, stating that it was relatively straightforward and without any major incidents for their team. They opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, in an attempt to try a different approach and possibly benefit from the timing of a Safety Car.

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

Reflecting on the progression of the race, I wouldn't have changed a thing: we earned a few places on the track, reaching 16th position based on our performance, but that was truly the best outcome we could achieve.

"We didn't see a significant improvement in our speed; although our weekend began positively, we struggled to maintain that pace and make substantial gains. Nonetheless, this weekend was definitely better than our experience at Zandvoort. We have considerable work to do to make further advancements, which will be our focus as we prepare for the upcoming consecutive races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou remarked, "Our speed today just wasn't competitive enough to challenge for points, particularly in a race that went smoothly without any interruptions or major surprises."

Our speed has definitely gotten better since last weekend's event in Zandvoort, but we're still lagging behind our main rivals when it comes to performance.

Over the weekend, there was some progress in our single-lap speed. However, it's evident that we must identify the car's optimal performance setting and deliver a perfect performance throughout the weekend to achieve the best outcome.

“Our team is dedicated to hard work and determination to shave off those vital fractions of a second, rather than depending on luck, to move us nearer to the top ten.”

Next year, Sauber will proceed with their transformation into Audi, although they will keep their present identity.

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

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

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