Sauber’s Optimism Amid Struggles: Bottas and Zhou Strive for Points in F1’s Competitive Field

Sauber sees "encouraging sign" despite Valtteri Bottas not scoring points

Sauber chief maintains there is cause for hope

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, while his teammate Guanyu Zhou finished two spots behind him.

In 2024, the only Formula 1 drivers yet to score any points are Bottas, Zhou, and Logan Sargeant, who has recently been dropped from the Williams team. Additionally, Sauber remains the only team without any points.

The Sauber team had their drivers start from the rear of the grid, with Bottas equipped with hard tires to maximize his opening run. However, the team's strategy ultimately didn't pay off.

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

He stated that despite the final standings looking similar to past races, the team's performance showed some encouraging signs.

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

"While it's clear that our current speed isn't sufficient to compete for points, the low-drag configuration we introduced at Monza, along with the adjustments made for qualifying, have enhanced the vehicle's balance. This has provided Valtteri and Zhou with an opportunity to contend."

"We’re not yet in a position to compete for points, but it's worth noting that the distance between us and our main rivals has decreased. This is a positive development that should be highlighted."

Bottas commented on the race, saying, "It was a smooth and uneventful race for our team. We opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, in an attempt to try something different and possibly benefit from a well-timed Safety Car."

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

Reflecting on the progression of the race, I realize I wouldn't change any of our actions: we managed to move up a few spots based on our performance, reaching 16th place, which was the best we could achieve.

“We didn’t see significant improvement in our speed. Although our weekend began on a positive note, we struggled to maintain that momentum and make substantial gains. Nonetheless, this weekend was definitely an improvement over our performance at Zandvoort. We have a considerable amount of work to do to make further progress, and we will focus on this 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 a straightforward race without any disruptions or major incidents.

"Even though our speed showed a noticeable advancement from last weekend's event in Zandvoort, we are still lagging behind our main rivals in terms of overall performance."

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

“Instead of depending on chance, our team is committed to diligently working to gain those vital fractions of a second that will help us move up into the top ten.”

Sauber will transition into Audi next year, but they will maintain their present form.

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a deal with Haas for the 2025 season, putting pressure on Bottas and Zhou as they compete to stay in Formula 1.

The only two teams with open driver slots for the upcoming season are Sauber and RB.

Explore Further

Breaking News

Breaking News

Site Map

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

It is prohibited to reproduce the text, photos, or images, either entirely or partially, in any manner.