Sauber’s Struggles at Monza: Signs of Progress Amidst Point-Less Streak for Bottas and Zhou

Clean team observes 'encouraging indication' though Valtteri Bottas remains without points

Clean team'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 score 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 only Formula 1 drivers in 2024 who haven't scored any points. Additionally, Sauber is the sole team with zero points.

Sauber's drivers started from the last positions on the grid, so Bottas was equipped with hard tires and kept on the track for an extended initial stint, but the team's strategy ultimately proved ineffective.

Nonetheless, the team's spokesperson, Alessandro Alunni Bravi, remains hopeful.

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

"Each driver successfully handled their hard and medium tyres, enabling us to stick to our pre-race strategy by keeping wear and tear in check."

Certainly, this isn't yet sufficient to compete for points since our overall speed is lacking. However, the low-drag package we introduced at Monza, along with the adjustments made for qualifying, enhanced the car's balance and provided Valtteri and Zhou with an opportunity to compete.

"We have a considerable distance to cover before we can compete for points, but it's crucial to recognize that the gap between us and our main rivals has gotten smaller today. This is a positive development that we should highlight."

Bottas commented on the race, stating, "It was a straightforward and calm race for us. We opted for a one-stop strategy, beginning with the hard tires, as we aimed to try something different and hoped for a favorable Safety Car timing."

"Regrettably, our efforts didn't pan out as we had hoped, but I'm glad we made the attempt."

Reflecting on the race, I wouldn't change a thing: we moved up a few spots on the track and reached P16 through our own efforts, but that was truly the best we could achieve.

"We didn't see significant improvements in speed. Although our weekend started off promising, we struggled to maintain that momentum and didn't make much progress. Nevertheless, it was definitely an improvement over our performance at Zandvoort. We have plenty of work to do to advance further, and that's what we'll focus on as we prepare for the upcoming consecutive races in Baku and Singapore."

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

"Although our speed showed clear progress compared to last weekend's race in Zandvoort, we are still lagging behind our main rivals in terms of overall performance."

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

“Instead of depending on fortune, our team is dedicated to staying focused and working diligently to gain those vital fractions of a second that will move us nearer to the top ten.”

Sauber is set to transform into Audi next year, but they will keep their existing identity.

Nico Hulkenberg has secured a spot with Haas for the 2025 season, putting Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in a position where they must compete fiercely to retain their places in Formula 1.

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

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