Sauber (Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber)
Valtteri Bottas
"Today was frustrating, as everything seemed to go against me after a good start. The incident with Lawson cost me track position and gave me floor damage and, from there, I was on the back foot. Zhou was ahead of me and, therefore, had the first pick on strategy. The team pitted me early to learn about the performance of the hard tyre, and the timing of the Safety Car couldn’t have been worse: I finished 11th in the end — so close to the points, which makes it all the more disappointing. That said, I’m happy for Zhou and the team. It’s been a challenging year and his P8 is a well-deserved result for everyone who has worked so hard this season. Now it's off to Abu Dhabi, where I hope we can finish on a high note. The team has shown we can be competitive, so let’s see what we can achieve in the final race."
Zhou Guanyu
"What a race! I’m incredibly happy for the entire team. Today was all about delivering a strong performance, and we did just that. We had great pace, stayed clean, and executed our strategy perfectly, making overtakes when it mattered most. It’s a massive boost for everyone involved. Finally scoring some points feels like a huge reward for all the hard work and resilience we’ve shown this season. Given where we started and the challenges we’ve faced, this result means so much more. Shout out to the team for delivering a great race."
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative
"Today has been a significant day in Doha for our team. Zhou's P8 is a result that means a lot to us and reflects the immense effort of our people in Hinwil, those here trackside, and our shareholders. It was a challenging race where every detail mattered. Zhou drove superbly, managing his tyres well and staying in control, while our strategy change to extend his stint and pit under the Safety Car on lap 35 proved decisive. His strong pace on hard tyres secured this important result for him and the team. Valtteri also contributed strongly to our result, finishing just outside the points in P11. His early stop allowed us to gather crucial data on the hard tyres, benefiting Zhou’s strategy. Unfortunately, he was pushed off by Lawson at the restart, which caused damage to his floor and cost us, effectively, the chance of a double points finish. We’re grateful to all our partners and Ferrari for their support. There’s still a lot of work ahead for us, but if we continue with this intensity, we can look forward to a bright future."
