Sauber’s Silver Linings: Bottas Still Point-less but Team Sees Progress at Monza

Sauber sees "encouraging indicator" though Valtteri Bottas yet to score

Sauber head 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 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 at Williams—are the sole drivers in the 2024 Formula 1 season who have yet to score any points. Additionally, Sauber is the only team without any points.

Sauber's drivers started at the rear of the grid, leading the team to equip Bottas with hard tires for an extended initial stint, but their strategy ultimately proved ineffective.

Nevertheless, team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi remains hopeful.

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 handled their hard and medium tires, which enabled us to stick to our pre-race strategy while keeping tire wear in check."

"Although it's not sufficient to compete for points yet due to our overall speed deficit, the low-drag package introduced at Monza and the adjustments made for qualifying have enhanced the car's balance, allowing Valtteri and Zhou to be more competitive."

“We have a significant distance to cover before we can compete for points, but it’s crucial to recognize that the gap between us and our immediate rivals has narrowed today – this is a positive indicator that we should highlight.”

Bottas commented on the race, saying, "It was a smooth and straightforward race for us. We opted for a single pit stop, beginning on the hard tires, as we aimed to try a different approach and hoped for favorable timing if a Safety Car was deployed."

"Regrettably, our attempt was unsuccessful, but I believe it was worthwhile to make the effort."

Reflecting on the race, I realize that I wouldn't change any of my actions. We managed to overtake several competitors and earned a 16th place finish through our own efforts, but that was the best outcome we could achieve.

"We haven't seen significant improvements in our speed. Although our weekend began positively, we struggled to maintain that initial momentum and make substantial gains. Nevertheless, this weekend has been an improvement over Zandvoort. We have plenty of work to do to advance further, and we'll be focusing on that as we prepare for the upcoming consecutive races in Baku and Singapore."

Zhou mentioned that their speed today was insufficient to compete for points, particularly in a straightforward race without disruptions or significant surprises.

"Although our speed was evidently better than last weekend in Zandvoort, we are still lagging behind our main rivals in terms of performance."

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

“Instead of depending on fortune, our team's strategy is to stay diligent and keep putting in the effort to shave off those essential fractions of a second that will edge us nearer to breaking into the top ten.”

Sauber is set to transition into Audi next year, although they will keep their existing identity for now.

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a contract with Haas for 2025, which puts Bottas and Zhou in a position where they must compete to stay in Formula 1.

The last two open driver positions for the next season are with Sauber and Red Bull.

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