Sauber has revealed that it will aim to introduce upgrades to its Formula 1 car at the United States Grand Prix as the team strives to avoid ending 2024 without points.
The Hinwil-based squad has endured a torrid campaign as its overhauled C45 machine has seen Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu languish at the bottom of the order.
Sauber brought a comprehensive update package before the summer break, but those revised components have been unable to inspire an upturn in competitiveness.
With the gap to its rivals growing in recent rounds, Sauber Team Representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi has admitted there is untapped potential it has not extracted.
“We have introduced a big package for us in Silverstone and Hungary that then was available to both drivers as of Zandvoort race,” Alunni Bravi said in Baku.
“And now we need to optimise this package. We struggled to get out most of the performance, especially in Zandvoort.
“We made a step in Monza, but there is still a lot of work to be done to find the right balance.”
Sauber’s updates will have a bearing on 2025
Despite Sauber appearing destined to end the season in last position, Alunni Bravi insisted that the team would work over the autumn break to produce more updates.
Alunni Bravi explained that sampling new parts this term will also have a bearing on next season’s car, which will be the last prior to Sauber evolving into Audi in 2026.
“We will have other upgrades during the season,” he continued.
“We are targeting Austin, but of course, for us, this year has been more marginal gains than a big step.
“So we continue to develop the car. This is also important, not just for this season, but also for 2025.
“It doesn’t mean that we are giving up this season, but we are working hard first to identify our weaknesses.
“And of course, nobody has a silver bullet in Formula 1.
“We know that we need to do steps and, you know, the upgrades that will be introduced later in the season should allow us to do another step.
“If this will be sufficient to catch up, our direct competitors will be just a track to assess this.”
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