Sauber Struggles in Montreal Qualifying, Set for Pitlane Start
In a disheartening qualifying session on Saturday in Montreal, both Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu struggled to make an impact, leaving Sauber with a challenging starting grid for the Formula 1 race, which is expected to take place in mixed weather conditions.
Bottas qualified 17th, narrowly missing the cut to Q2, while his Chinese teammate fell further behind in 20th, following a limited running session in FP1 and a collision with the wall in FP3, putting him at a disadvantage for qualifying.
Given the unfavorable starting positions, Sauber took the opportunity to make significant car changes in parc ferme. Notably, both Bottas and Zhou have reverted to an older specification of rear wing, which, under parc ferme rules, means they will be forced to start from the pitlane for the Formula 1 race today.
“Qualifying confirms that we are lacking performance in the single lap. We have already seen in the last races that our main competitors took a step forward, pushing us to the bottom of the midfield in terms of qualifying pace,” said Sauber team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi.
He added, “The race will be once again difficult for us, and we must maximise every opportunity that may arise. We have previously shown that we can deliver a better race pace, but we can’t hide the fact that it’s another difficult weekend for us. Still, we’ll do our best to improve our position.”
Currently, Sauber is the only team without points on the board in 2024, occupying 10th and last place in the constructors’ table. As the team undergoes a transitional phase before becoming the Audi factory team in 2026, they face an uphill battle to turn their fortunes around.
Formula 1 qualifying highlighted Sauber’s performance gap, which the team hopes to bridge in the upcoming races.
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