Sauber has contended that it would be a “mistake” to attribute its uncompetitive standing in the current campaign to the Formula 1 side’s transition into Audi in 2026.
The Hinwil-based squad’s on-track activities have been overshadowed this term by its impending evolution into a works Audi entrant upon the next regulation change.
Sauber has endured a tumultuous season to this point as the team’s revamped C44 car hasn’t been competitive enough to score a single point in the first nine rounds.
Sauber Team Representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi has acknowledged that it has dropped behind its rivals in the midfield as the development race has accelerated.
“I think we can say that the performances are not there, so there is nothing to hide,” Alunni Bravi said.
“At the beginning of the year we had quite good performance compared to our main competitors, but we didn’t translate this into results, for all the reliability issues that have been, I would say, quite evident. And now, the other teams made a bigger step with the latest updates, especially Racing Bulls, also Alpine, and we need to recover the gap.
“We fixed the reliability issues, especially the pit stop, But on the single laps in qualifying, we are not there where we should be if we want to fight for the points.”
Speaking earlier in the weekend at Barcelona, Valtteri Bottas, who doesn’t retain a deal in 2025, suggested that the Audi expansion was hindering Sauber’s prospects.
“It’s hard to predict because the thing is, you know, it is so close, the margins are so small,” Bottas assessed.
“But everyone is working flat out, you know, to understand what’s going on, why we are not hitting the targets. And like I said, it’s fine margins.
“So again, with some new bits specifically for this race, we should be in a better place.
“Obviously, yeah, there’s been quite a few things going on in the team in terms of for a better future.
“So sometimes you might take a step back to take two steps forward. So that’s part of the game, but I hope we’re in better shape. That’s all I can say.”
However, Alunni Bravi has quashed that stance, insisting that the team is not divided between Sauber’s on-track efforts over the next 18 months and the Audi venture.
“I think it’s a mistake to mix both things,” Alunni Bravi said. “I don’t think that the preparation for the Audi works team is affecting the current two seasons, and it must not.
“I think that we have weaknesses that we are trying to address. Andreas Seidl [CEO] is working from last January on improving the team in this transformation process.
“But the transformation process starts from the improvement on the current structure and in finding the right people to reinforce our technical teams in every area.
“I don’t think that there are two separate tasks to be done, one for the works team and one for the current team.
“There are not two separate teams. There is one team. That needs to be the foundation for the works team.”
Asked whether Bottas’ statement on taking one step back to take two steps forward was not accurate, Alunni Bravi replied: “I don’t want to say it’s not accurate.
“But of course we are not where we should be, also in terms of recruitment, in terms of the investment, and this is why Audi has decided in March to go for a full takeover of the Sauber Group in order to push for the investment that are necessary to make the step towards the works team.
“So I think that we are in a situation where we know exactly where is the light at the end of the tunnel, but we are still in the tunnel.”
