15/09/2024
NEWS STORY
Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber battled from lights to flag in a thrilling Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with Zhou Guanyu bringing the C44 home in 14th place, ahead of team-mate, Valtteri Bottas, in 16th place.
There were plenty of battles on track in Baku, with both drivers involved in close fights with their direct rivals as the team keeps working hard to improve its position on track.
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative: "We finished this race in a similar position to the previous ones, and we were not able to change our trend, despite the hard work of everyone within the team. Valtteri struggled during his first stint on medium tyres following Tsunoda, and the lack of pace meant we lost ground compared to our starting position. Right from the very beginning, he suffered graining that prevented him from having reasonable pace, so we pitted him on lap 12, trying to improve his balance with fresh tyres and a different compound. This was not enough, though. On the positive side, Zhou delivered a solid race, managing his tyres well during the first part of the afternoon. We then decided to extend his first stint, stopping him on lap 35, and he had a strong final part of the race on medium tyres, overtaking Ocon in the closing stages and bringing him up to finish in P14. Zhou progressed well throughout the weekend and was able to be more in the mix today with our direct competitors. We know this is not enough to get in the points: therefore, there is nothing to do other than keep working to optimise the setup window for the next race in Singapore and, of course, work hard to bring updates that can allow us to find more pace."
Valtteri Bottas: "It was a tough day for us. We tried to split the car strategies, to try and maximise returns, but it didn't really work out in the end. The main issue was the rapid degradation of the medium tyres at the start, forcing us into an early pit stop. The car felt better on the hard compound, but even that tyre started to struggle towards the end. Despite some luck, with a few rivals dropping out of contention, we couldn't achieve a balanced stint and missed out on the points. Now we need to regroup and try again in Singapore."
Zhou Guanyu: "I think the race went smoothly and cleanly on my end. The team executed our strategy well, but our pace wasn't strong enough to fight closer to the points. That said, it's encouraging to see progress this weekend, especially in terms of racecraft. We were able to compete with a few other teams, which is a positive sign. There's still a long road ahead, and while we know we're not quite where we want to be yet, we'll keep fighting and working together as a team to close the gap."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Baku here.