We kick off our annual review of the 2024 Formula 1 season with a look at the team that had a year to forget: Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber. Let's dive into the highs - if there were any -and lows of their challenging season.
A Bright Green Disaster
Sauber entered 2024 with optimism as bold as their eye-popping new green livery. Unfortunately, the season turned out to be less of a rebirth and more of a slow-motion train wreck.
The team clung to a familiar driver line-up and a snazzy new look, but their car's performance ensured they were usually only seen in the rear-view mirrors of the competition.
Clearly, the warning signs were there from the start when the pit lane became the team's Bermuda Triangle, where races vanished into oblivion.
Bahrain set the tone, with Valtteri Bottas suffering a pit stop so slowly you could've brewed a cup of the Finn's favorite coffee before he was sent back out. One week later, Zhou Guanyu hardened his own wheel-nut woes in Jeddah.
But even when the car was functional, it wasn't fast. The C44 was more of a brick on wheels than a thoroughbred racer, and Sauber's upgrade efforts backfired spectacularly.
The much-hyped Hungarian package? To doubt. Bottas ran it first, and the result was two finishes deep in the midfield abyss.
The drivers fought valiantly against the odds. Bottas, ever the professional, wrung every ounce of performance from the C44. Zhou found a rare bright spot in Qatar, delivering an eighth-place finish—the team's only points of the year.
The sight of Sauber mechanics celebrating those four points as if they'd won the championship was both heartwarming and heartbreaking.
But the joy was fleeting. Zandvoort was a season low, with both cars finishing two laps adrift, the motorsport equivalent of forgetting to RSVP to the party. By season's end, Sauber was anchored at the bottom of the Constructors' Championship with a grand total of four points and no clear roadmap forward.
In hindsight, Sauber's 2024 season wasn't the dawn of a new era. It was a masterclass in how not to run a Formula 1 campaign.
What's in store for 2025?
Sauber is banking on fresh faces to turn the tide next season, its final dress rehearsal before Audi officially enters the fray in 2026.
Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou are out, replaced by Nico Hulkenberg and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto. It's a promising combination: Hulkenberg's experience and Bortoleto's youthful potential. But even the best drivers can't perform miracles with a mediocre machine.
Adding intrigue to Sauber's 2025 prospects is the presence of Mattia Binotto, the former Ferrari team principal, now at the helm for his first full season.
Known for his technical expertise and leadership, Binotto's task is monumental: steer a floating team out of the depths and restore competitiveness
. His experience could be key, but it will take time to see his influence truly take hold.
By 2025, the team must focus on delivering a car that's reliable and competitive. That means no more botched upgrades or amateur-hour mistakes. But most importantly, Sauber needs a culture shift—a team-wide mentality that refuses to settle for being backmarkers.
With Binotto's guidance, a rookie eager to prove himself, and a seasoned veteran at the helm, Sauber has potential. But without systemic change, it might just be another year of green disappointment.
