More disappointment for Valtteri Bottas and Sauber in Mexico: “Result not as positive as I hoped”. F1 Mexico GP: Sauber continues its negative streak of races without points.

Still without points

The bleak period continues for Sauber this season, with the possibility of ending the championship without scoring a single point becoming increasingly real and concerning. With only four races left, the Swiss team has not finished in the top ten in any Grand Prix this year, including the latest in Mexico.

Strategy and small improvements

This objective slipped away after a strategy involving a late tire change from hard to medium. Valtteri Bottas was, in fact, the last to make the mandatory pit stop on lap 50 of the 71-lap race, ultimately finishing 14th: “I think today we maximized our performance, even if the final result wasn’t as positive as I’d hoped,” the Finn explained. “However, we did improve, and that’s something we need to take with us to the next race. I was a bit stuck at the start, limiting my ability to recover positions. Later, the race was relatively straightforward, as we followed the planned strategy and even extended the first stint by a few laps. Although it wasn’t the best possible outcome in terms of position, the positive thing is that we were able to fight more effectively than we have recently. Our pace was on par with some of our closest competitors, which gives us confidence for the upcoming rounds. Now, we need to focus on the next upgrade, hoping it will be as effective as the last one and help us take another step forward.” – the former Mercedes driver pointed out.

Brake issues

There were few positives for Zhou Guanyu, who finished 15th but faced various difficulties: “Our race was quite challenging, with brake overheating early on that forced us to back off regularly and throughout the race, compromising our pace on every lap. This is something we definitely need to look into to understand the root cause of the issue. It felt like we had a bit more to give, but we still managed to keep up and remain competitive with the cars around us. It’s a step forward, something we couldn’t do just a few races ago, so it’s encouraging progress. The team will keep working hard, and with São Paulo approaching, we’ll give our best to get even closer to the pack.” – he concluded at the end of the Mexico City Grand Prix.