HALF TERM REPORT: Kick Sauber – As the wait for points continues, can changes at the top help the team to move forwards?

The first half of 2024 did not go the way that Kick Sauber would have hoped, with the squad still holding the unfortunate statistic of being the only team yet to score a point. Can small signs of progress on the track – and leadership changes made off it ahead of Audi’s takeover – translate into more performance going forwards? Here’s their half term report…

• Read all the 2024 half term reports here

Best finish

Zhou Guanyu – 11th in Bahrain

It will perhaps add to Kick Sauber’s disappointment that they have been unable to match the result they achieved at the season-opener in Bahrain courtesy of Zhou Guanyu. Despite qualifying down in 17th, the Chinese driver made gains on Sunday to end the day in 11th.

Having only narrowly missed out on points after finishing just behind the Aston Martins, Zhou was cautiously optimistic about the pace of the C44.

This progress appeared to falter as the season developed, though, with the team’s next best result being P13, achieved by Zhou in Spain and Valtteri Bottas in Monaco and Canada.

Qualifying head-to-head

Bottas 13-1 Zhou

Bottas has enjoyed better Saturdays than his team mate during the first half of the season, having outqualified Zhou on 13 out of 14 occasions with the exception of Silverstone.

This has seen Bottas progress to Q2 six times, as well as making one Q3 appearance in China where he achieved his and the team’s best grid slot of the year in P10. Zhou, meanwhile, has reached Q2 just once in Spain.

READ MORE: Coffee and cycling addictions, music with Hamilton and mystery gifts – Getting to know the real Valtteri Bottas

Race head-to-head

Bottas 9-5 Zhou

As was the case in qualifying, Bottas also outscored Zhou on Sundays, though not with such a substantial margin.

Both drivers have faced some bad luck; after his best qualifying of the campaign in China, Bottas was forced to pull off track come race day owing to a mechanical issue, while Zhou recorded retirements in Japan and Belgium also due to technical problems.

But when both drivers have made it home, Bottas has finished ahead on more occasions, despite not matching Zhou’s best result of P11 in Bahrain.

Best moment

The Chinese Grand Prix weekend brought some positive moments for Kick Sauber both on and off the circuit, even if this ultimately was not reflected in the final results.

After a close intra-team battle in Saturday’s Sprint, Zhou only just missed out on taking a point by ending the event in P9, while Bottas’ debut Q3 appearance of the year in qualifying was another feel-good moment.

But it was perhaps Zhou’s emotional reaction to racing in front of his home fans for the first time that proved to be particularly special. The 24-year-old – who is so far the only driver from China to have competed in F1 – was given a standing ovation from the crowd when he crossed the line, leaving him overcome with emotion after stepping out of the car.

READ MORE: Fashion, tigers and Alonso’s words of wisdom – Getting to know the real Zhou Guanyu

Worst moment

Pit stop issues were a persistent struggle for Kick Sauber in the early stages of the season, further adding to their woes along with a lack of results. Bottas endured a 52-second visit to the pits in Bahrain thanks to a cross-threaded wheel nut, dropping him down the order to P19.

Similar incidents occurred in Saudi Arabia and Australia, with Bottas missing out on potentially scoring points at the latter after his stop was delayed by around 30 seconds.

Fortunately the team eventually got on top of the issue, but their points drought continued throughout the 14 rounds of the championship so far.

Going forward

The summer break will perhaps offer the team an opportunity to reset, particularly given the recent leadership changes that have occurred ahead of their transition into being Audi’s works outfit in 2026.

This saw former Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto join the company on August 1 as Chief Operating and Chief Technical Officer, following on from the exits of CEO Andreas Seidl and Audi executive Oliver Hoffmann.

READ MORE: Bottas identifies what new Audi boss Binotto will need to focus on after ‘unexpected’ team changes

It was also announced earlier this month that Jonathan Wheatley will leave his role as Red Bull’s Sporting Director to become Team Principal of the Audi F1 Team.

While this may have more of an impact on Kick Sauber’s long-term future, one of their immediate priorities will be to get off the mark in the second half of the season. To do so, Bottas has called on the team to deliver more upgrades, as well as continuing to build on the progress they have made pace-wise.