Team Stake presented the new C44 in recent days. The presentation is a moment for Sauber that marks an important change of gear regarding the F1 path of the Hinwil team. In the words of the two drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou, the key word is change. This obviously starts from the new look, which hardly goes unnoticed. The hope is that this change is also reflected on the performance front, with the aim of a change of pace on the track too.
Valtteri Bottas: “Last year, we didn’t achieve our goals, but now I’m confident”
“I think the new look reflects the team’s approach for the future,” commented Valtteri Bottas.
“It’s new, it’s exciting. There have been changes in the team’s approach, and also, from a visual point of view, everything is different. I followed suit: even my hair is a different colour!
“I think the team’s approach reflects well the mentality we will have for the future. Change can sometimes be a positive force.”
Bottas then specified that beyond the visual changes, it is fundamental to find a step in performance:
“The appearance is important, but obviously, it is secondary to the performance. In the end, if the car is fast and we behave as a team, nothing else really matters.
“My expectations are high. We must certainly make a good step forward and see good progress compared to last year. [It was] A season in which, in all honesty, we did not achieve the objectives we had set ourselves.”
Without mincing too many words, the driver from Nastola underlined the need to avoid 2023’s underperformance.
However, after observing the changes that have taken place in the team, Valtteri said he was very confident from this point of view.
“We have a lot of new resources in different departments of the team. We have a completely new identity, the car looks different and not just in terms of livery.
“All this gives me the certainty that we are on a different path, hopefully the right one. When you start a new season, everyone starts from scratch, and it is absolutely impossible to predict where you will end up.
“That’s the beauty of sport, especially nowadays, with the thin margins that separate the teams. But based solely on what I’ve seen around me, I’d say I’m definitely more confident this season than last. ”
Words that reflect good confidence in the means available, from the car to the work environment. To have a practical demonstration of this, Bottas stated that three/four races will still be necessary to understand the level of Team Stake compared to its direct opponents.
Guanyu Zhou: “We must avoid the ups and downs of the last two years”
Teammate Guanyu Zhou also reiterated that the bar of expectations has been raised compared to last season. This work began as early as 2023 and will materialize once the car is put on track, although the level of the opponents is not clear for now.
“We have put a lot of effort into it since last season, especially in the second half of the year.
“After the summer break, just to make sure that we understood exactly where we needed to improve as a team and what the work plan was for the guys in the factory during the winter.”
For Zhou, it will be a particularly heartfelt season also from a personal point of view, with the return of the Chinese GP to the calendar after four years of absence.
The Chinese driver, in his third year in F1, will thus compete in his first home race:
“I was in Shanghai for the very first Grand Prix, in 2004, as a fan sitting in the stands: I watched the drivers race, and I dreamed of being one of them in future.
“That’s what I’ve been chasing ever since. It’s an amazing feeling to know that all the tickets sold out so quickly, in less than two days.”
Like Bottas, Zhou also highlighted particular confidence in the 2024 project. The Chinese driver demonstrated greater working synergy with the team and his teammate compared to 2023.
A work that made it possible to identify more clearly the direction to be taken in the new season. This, therefore, translates into clear objectives on the path to follow:
“I want to take a step forward. We need to be more consistent in the points, more often in Q3.
“I want to be demanding with myself, to make sure I can get the right performance at the right time: we have had ups and downs in the last two seasons.
“This year, we need to minimize all these fluctuations, consistently be at our full potential and get the right performance every single weekend.”
Author: Loris Preziosa
Translation: Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
