Valtteri Bottas: “It’s ironic that the improvements come now” | F1 Qatar Grand Prix. Valtteri Bottas doesn’t want to end his F1 career with a zero in the Drivers' Championship.

Sauber, a good Saturday in Qatar
In a Formula 1 characterized by delicate balances, there is one constant: Sauber has always been at the back of the grid, with zero points in the Constructors’ Championship and few chances of moving up in the standings. However, in Qatar, the Hinwil team showed pride, securing the sixth row with Guanyu Zhou (for the second consecutive time reaching Q2 in qualifying) and 13th position with Valtteri Bottas.

The two drivers are in their penultimate F1 race and want to leave by fighting for points, which until a few weeks ago seemed out of reach. The Las Vegas updates, however, seem to be yielding good results and have helped the team on the Lusail track: a bit late, as Valtteri Bottas pointed out, as he certainly wouldn’t have wanted to risk finishing his career with a zero in the standings.

Valtteri Bottas’ comments
“It’s very late in the season, and we’ve been waiting for these improvements for a long time. It’s a bit ironic, but that’s the way it is. At least now we can try to do something,” said Valtteri Bottas. “The car was very balanced, which wasn’t the case in the Sprint Qualifying. Yet, we only made small adjustments to the setup, so I think we should be happy as a team.” – the former Mercedes driver pointed out.

“The Las Vegas floor is making a difference. It allowed us to make progress, and on this track, it seems to help. It provides more downforce, and since the grid is compact, every little bit helps,” he added. “In theory, it’s a three-tenth improvement per lap, which is a good result when teams are so close.”