Sauber’s Silver Lining: Optimism Amidst Point-less Season as Bottas and Zhou Show Progress at Monza

Sauber identifies "encouraging indicator" although Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Sauber's leader 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, finishing two spots ahead 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 that hasn't earned any points.

Sauber's pair of drivers secured positions at the rear of the grid, leading to Bottas being equipped with hard tires and tasked with enduring the longest initial stint. However, the team's strategy was mostly ineffective.

Nonetheless, team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi remains hopeful.

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

"Both drivers successfully managed their hard and medium tires, which enabled us to stick to our pre-race strategy, keeping tire wear in check."

"Certainly, this isn't sufficient for competing for points, as we still lack speed overall. However, the low-drag package we introduced for Monza along with the adjustments we made for qualifying enhanced the car's balance, providing Valtteri and Zhou an opportunity to compete."

"We're not yet in a position to compete for points, but it's crucial to recognize that we've made progress today by narrowing the gap with our main rivals. This is an encouraging development that deserves to be highlighted."

Bottas shared his thoughts on the race, stating, "It was a straightforward and calm race for us. We opted for a single pit stop, beginning with the hard tires, as we aimed to try a different approach and potentially benefit from a well-timed Safety Car."

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

Reflecting on the way the race progressed, I have no regrets about our strategy: we managed to move up a few spots through our own efforts, reaching 16th place, but that was truly the best we could achieve.

"We did not see significant improvements in speed. Although our weekend began on a positive note, we struggled to maintain that momentum or make considerable advancements. Nonetheless, this weekend was definitely better than our experience in Zandvoort. There is a substantial amount of work ahead to make further progress, which we will focus on as we prepare for the upcoming consecutive races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou commented, "Our speed today wasn't sufficient to contend for points, especially in a race that was straightforward and free from major incidents or disruptions."

"Although we showed better speed than we did last weekend in Zandvoort, we still lag behind our main rivals in terms of performance."

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

"Instead of depending on luck, our team is dedicated to staying focused and working diligently to shave off those vital fractions of a second that will move us closer to breaking into the top ten."

Sauber is set to transform into Audi next year, although they will maintain their present identity.

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a spot with the Haas team for the 2025 season. This development puts Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in a position where they must compete fiercely to keep their places in

Sauber and Red Bull are the only teams with open driver spots for next season.

Explore Further

Recent Updates

Recent Updates

Site Map

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

It is prohibited to reproduce any part or the entirety of the text, photos, or illustrations in any manner.