Sauber is facing an unexpected adversary at the start of 2024, and it’s an internal one – pit stops. After just three rounds of the season, the Swiss outfit has experienced at least one operational blunder in each race. These operational errors have thrown away the team’s chances of points, and this could continue in the near future.
Points are difficult to come by for the bottom five teams in Formula 1. After the Australian GP, only three drivers in the lower half of the field (Tsunoda, Hulkenberg and Magnussen) have got points on the board. This fact Sauber’s rivals capitalised on the opportunity in Melbourne made Sauber’s failure even more frustrating.
Zhou Guanyu was forced to make a pit lane start after sustaining damage in qualifying, compromising his Grand Prix. However, teammate Valtteri Bottwas was in legitimate contention for points in the early phases of the race. A strong start saw him briefly overtake Fernando Alonso before settling into P12 – setting competitive times in the C44.
With retirements from Verstappen and the two Mercedes incoming, 9th place was attainable for Bottas in Australia. Unfortunately for the Finn, a 30-second stop ruined his chances. Frustratingly for the Swiss outfit, their efforts to mitigate this problem were a failure.
Why Sauber pit-stop issues will persist
The steps taken before round 3 of the season were not intended to be definitive solutions. Instead, they were short-term measures to prevent more disastrous stops. So far, the evidence suggests these efforts have been an objective failure.
The question now is whether a more definitive solution can be reached. According to Xevi Pujolar, head of trackside engineering, as reported by The Race – an external supplier provides the parts that need to be changed.
As a result, producing new components to rectify the issue will take time. The team cannot rely on old specifications as a solution either, as the C44 uses a different suspension than last year’s iteration. This means the upcoming rounds could be very painful for Sauber. A definitive solution might not be ready for several weeks.
Of course, Hinwil still has some reasons for optimism since their 2024 challenger is at least contending for points. Still, rivals RB and Haas are slightly ahead at this stage. Even assuming that Sauber can close the gap, squandering points is not a practice Alunni Bravi’s team should become accustomed to. Even though Audi’s arrival will provide additional resources, the team must still strive for results in the meantime.
