Sauber C44 Shows Promise as Bottas Keeps Pace Early

Bottas Praises Stake F1’s Progress Despite Tough Finish

21/10/2024

Valtteri Bottas commends Stake F1’s improving performance, noting the Sauber C44’s competitive pace despite challenges in the final stages.

Valtteri Bottas finished 18th in the United States Grand Prix despite a one-stop strategy aimed at waiting for a possible late-race incident. The Stake F1 driver was pleased with his early stint pace, though his Sauber C44 lost performance towards the end of the stint.

“As a team, we tried everything we could today, opting for a one-stop strategy based on tire performance and our competitors’ races,” said Bottas.

“It was worth trying because you never know what might happen later in the race, but it didn’t work out as we had to extend our second stint a bit too long.”

“While we were able to match the pace of our direct competitors early in the race, which is certainly a positive we can build on, we still lacked pace towards the end of the stints. We’ve made a step forward in terms of race pace, but we need to keep developing the car to close this gap and improve future performance.”

Guanyu Zhou made a strong start, climbing up to 13th place before spinning: “I got off to a very good start and gained quite a few positions. The first stint went well, and I gave it my all at the restart after the safety car, knowing the others were on hard tires.”

“Unfortunately — and I apologize to the team — I carried too much speed into Turn 1, hit a bump at the wrong angle, and lost the rear while trying to attack the cars ahead of me.”

“After that, the pace was difficult in the second stint, and I experienced a drop-off where we need to understand what happened — but the first 10 laps were quite promising considering what we’ve done in recent races. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough today, but we’ll keep pushing and come back stronger for the next race.”

Sauber C44 Shows Promise as Bottas Keeps Pace Early Sauber C44 Shows Promise as Bottas Keeps Pace Early

F1 Standings 2025
F1 Standings 2025
#
Driver
Points
1
Driver Flag
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
0
2
Driver Flag
Lando Norris
McLaren
0
3
Driver Flag
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
0
4
Driver Flag
Oscar Piastri
McLaren
0
5
Driver Flag
Carlos Sainz
Williams
0
6
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George Russell
Mercedes
0
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Points
1
McLaren
Norris & Piastri
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Leclerc & Hamilton
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4
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Russell & Antonelli
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5
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0
6
Alpine
Gasly & Doohan
0
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