Bottas Admits Sauber are Lacking Pace after Q1 Exit in Austria

Valtteri Bottas admitted that Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber simply don’t have the performance to be competitive at the Red Bull Ring after qualifying down in eighteenth for the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.

Sauber are yet to score a point, with Bottas having his worst start to a Formula 1 campaign. Despite that, the former Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team has been driving well, being held back by a car that’s glued to the back of the grid. 

After another disappointing performance in qualifying, Bottas told F1TV that the performance just isn’t there, and there still in a similar position to what they were after Sprint qualifying on Friday afternoon.

“It was difficult. I think we made the car a bit better in terms of the true lap balance so that’s going to help us tomorrow but still the pure performance is not there at this track. We are in the same position as we were after the Sprint quali, which is not nice to see but that’s how it is and we still have tomorrow and won’t give up.

“In the sprint, the big thing for us was tyre overheating – that was the biggest issue. We made some changes that should help us but we’ll figure that out tomorrow.”

Points look unlikely for Bottas tomorrow, but with the Fin almost beating his teammate every race, it’s clear that the car provided to him has been the deciding factor in his lack of points so far in 2024. Bottas is fighting to stay on the grid in 2025, but is unlikely to stay with Sauber due to the upcoming takeover of Audi. Nico Hülkenberg is already confirmed for 2025, meaning just one seat remains up for grabs and with the likes of Carlos Sainz Jr, Esteban Ocon and Liam Lawson mentioned in the media, it seems as if Bottas will have to look elsewhere. Williams Racing could be a likely destination with Logan Sargeant set to depart, while a return to Mercedes could be a wildcard move that no one saw coming.

All focus for Bottas remains on the rest of the season with Sauber though, and he’ll be hoping for points sooner rather than later as they look to move from the bottom of the Constructors Championship for the first time this season.