Valtteri Bottas says he’s observed a remarkable transformation within the Sauber team, describing the current spirit at the Swiss outfit as “the highest I have seen so far” under the leadership of Andreas Seidl.
Entering the 2024 season, Sauber has shed its former Alfa Romeo affiliation and embraced a fresh identity marked by the striking green and black colors of its principal partners Stake and Kick.
The team’s rebranding coincides with Seidl’s second year at the helm of Sauber. The moved from McLaren to Hinwil at the end of 2022 when he was tasked with solidifying the team's foundation in preparation for Audi's takeover in 2026.
Bottas acknowledges that while Sauber fell short of its goals in 2023, the bar has been raised for the upcoming season.
The Finn emphasized the importance of a strong start, followed by sustained progress throughout the year. He believes this is achievable with the influx of talented new personnel joining the existing team.
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“I think we have to target for that. We didn’t meet the targets that we set for last season but now we have to get there,” he told Formula1.com.
“We need to be starting the season strong but then maintaining good progress, which I believe is possible with the additional members we have in the team, including the big talent we have already in the team.
“With this new, fresh identity and ideas, I feel like there’s no limit.”
©Sauber
Bottas highlighted Seidl’s merits, not the least of which has been his ability to transform the “old school mindset” that prevailed until recently.
“I see good motivation all around,” he continued. “There’s been fresh ideas, lots of new stuff happening.
“There’s a lot of motivation and the spirit is good; I would say the spirit of the team and kind of the commitment for this year is, I would say, the highest I have seen so far.
“I think also the leadership of Andreas, he’s been really good at dealing with people and trying to change some of the almost, let’s say, old school mindset in the team and making sure that we don’t accept a bad result, we need to do better.”
Looking ahead to this year’s campaign, Bottas has laid out his “ideal” vision of what would represent a strong season for Sauber in 2024.
“I would say if we hit the targets we set for last year which was much better positions in the championship, consistently in the points for the whole season and sometimes hopefully competing for podiums, that would be my ideal target,” the Finn commented.
“I think we need to target high, there’s no reason to go into a new season aiming to be like one place better, that shouldn’t be the case, we need to be far better than that.”
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