Once again, the Swiss team remains at zero after another disastrous weekend. Present in the garage, Mattia Binotto commented on Sauber’s performance at Monza.
Another disaster.. The weekend of the Italian Grand Prix has officially come to an end, and at Stake Kick Sauber, the outcome once again brings disappointment and discontent. Even at Monza—a track where on paper the field tends to level out due to the straight-line speed required—the same scenario observed since Sakhir has played out: Sauber well out of the points and the weakest team on the grid. Indeed, at the Monza circuit, the “green machine” disappointed again, confirming that earning even a single point this season will require nothing short of a miracle.
The Hinwil team, however, had started the weekend on a relatively positive note, nearly fooling everyone: Bottas finished an extraordinary fifth in the first free practice session on Friday, then ended up in a respectable eleventh place in the afternoon. But while the initial signs were decent, Saturday (and then Sunday) turned into a nightmare for the Swiss team, with both Saubers starting from the back row and finishing in P16 and P18. The lack of performance, poor car handling, and especially the drivers’ struggles are turning this season into a nightmare for the team, which will soon be the precursor to the future Audi, set to debut in 2026.
And speaking of the future Audi, another important factor should not be overlooked: Alessandro Alunni Bravi, as well as CEO Mattia Binotto, had already spoken of the 2024 season as essentially over, with 2025 expected to be sacrificed in favor of a revolution arriving in 2026. That year, which marks a reset for all teams, could be the last real hope, with the vivid expectation of better, or at least decent, results. The hope is that saving resources now will yield something concrete (and hopefully victorious) in two years.
Binotto’s Remarks on Sauber’s Weekend
The challenging Italian weekend was thus assessed by the new Audi CEO Mattia Binotto, who was present throughout the weekend in the Stake Sauber garage. The former head of Ferrari commented on the Swiss team’s GP performance:“We can’t afford this. I believe this is a team that must become a winning one in the future. And the only way to do that is to start moving upward, progressing. We need to start building our muscles for the future. So, yes, I think we definitely need to improve. It’s important for ourselves, it’s important for the team.. It’s important for the brand. It’s important for our partners. And we cannot, in any way, accept the current position“.
““We can’t hide behind the fact that we were last and second-last in the Zandvoort race and in qualifying, in those same positions, at a considerable distance from the cars ahead of us. So, we must strive to improve. We need to balance all our priorities and efforts in the short, medium, and long term. But I don’t think our current position is comfortable for us at all. It’s very painful. As I said, we need to build our muscles and improve because solid foundations are not built in a day. This is a team that must progress continuously, day by day, step by step. So, I’d say we need to start as soon as possible.”
Regarding the work at the factory, Binotto added: “I believe there are fantastic people here. We have clear intentions and objectives to become a winning team. But certainly, there is a lot to be done—this is the first feedback. We are competing with teams that have been in F1 for many years. These are large organizations, with ups and downs. And that’s not our case. We need to grow in terms of people, organization, tools, processes, methodologies, and structures.” A strong and clear message that undeniably signals upcoming changes
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