The 2024 Stake F1 season is going unnoticed to say the least. The team that will become Audi in 2026 is currently last in the constructors’ championship and remains the only team not to have scored a single point since the start of the season.
This anonymous year is like that of the Swiss team’s drivers. Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas spend almost all of the races, when they do not retire due to reliability problems, at the back of the grid and often in the last positions.
During the press conference for the Singapore Grand Prix last week, Bottas spoke about the problems with the car, which was generally underperforming. He also explains that the lack of resources of Stake/Sauber compared to the other teams is logically reflected on the track.
“The car is just too nervous overall”explained the Finn. “Of course, it lacks overall performance and efficiency, but yes, we are too sensitive on the suspensions and the cornering, let’s say. So it is a bit on the limit. And yes, the feedback: obviously, me and my teammate, we continue to give everything we can.”
“But at the same time, in this sport, you can’t change things overnight, and sometimes the delays can be several months. Once you notice a problem, you always have to find a solution. [Et puis] you first have to design it, try it in a wind tunnel and see if it improves things or not.”
“Deadlines are therefore very long in this discipline and, as a team, we are not yet at the level of the larger teams in terms of staff and facilities at the factory. It is work that continues. And I think Mattia [Binotto, le directeur des opérations du projet Audi] took this problem very seriously. So I think there will be big changes in the future.”
The starting grid for the Austrian GP.
Photo de: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
With the second Stake F1 driver, who will race alongside Nico Hülkenberg next season, still to be announced, Zhou and Bottas are currently on a mission to try to keep their F1 seats.
While things seem to be getting complicated for the Chinese, his teammate seems to be a good candidate. Other names have nevertheless been added to the list, notably very young ones like McLaren junior driver Gabriel Bortoleto, the team’s reserve driver Théo Pourchaire or even recently Franco Colapinto, Williams campaigning to push him into the Sauber seat .
Bottas explained that it was difficult for him to show his abilities when he is not even fighting for points in the race. However, he believes he drives very well, better than during his years at Mercedes.
“That’s how sport works.”he declared. “I think it’s not just this year, but if you look at this season and last season, when you’re fighting at the back [de la grille]obviously your performance and what you can do is much less visible. And it is especially in relation to your teammate that you can make a comparison. It is certain that you show yourself more if you fight in the points and at the front of the grid. That’s how it happens.”
“So it certainly didn’t help [pour garder sa place en F1]. But, there are still people in the paddock who know the real performances, especially within the team. They know how I behave from one weekend to the next and that’s the main thing to know. I just need the people who need to know to know how good I am and that’s all that matters.”
“I have the impression that [je pilote mieux que chez Mercedes]especially in qualifying this year, I don’t feel like I’m worse [qu’avant]. In fact, you get better with experience. You gain consistency, confidence. You can solve different problems in a different way. The more time you spend in this discipline, the more you adapt to the car. I feel like I’m driving better than at Mercedes, but it’s obviously not as visible.”
F1 faces a big four-week break before the United States Grand Prix. This period of time will allow the teams to improve their car one last time before the end of the season, which will see two triplets of GPs follow one another in three months.
Asked about the development opportunities offered by these four weeks, Bottas replied: “It will definitely help us. The whole team will have a lot more time at the factory. I will also spend time there in the simulator and in meetings about the direction to take for the future. So that is important and I hope we will have some new elements in the next race, which we really need.”
