The Swiss team, which will become the Audi factory team from 2026, experienced another setback in the pits in their most recent incident. This marks the third consecutive race in which Sauber has faced problems during pit stops. In Bahrain, Chinese driver Guanyu Zhou encountered a setback due to a cross-threaded nut, while Bottas faced similar issues in Saudi Arabia. Despite implementing measures to mitigate the issue during pit stops, the problem remains unresolved, as stated by team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi. The incident involving Valtteri Bottas, although slightly different, is connected to previous incidents and had a detrimental impact on his race.
Bottas expressed his disappointment, acknowledging that the team still has work to do. Before the pit stop, things were progressing well, and it is frustrating to see a promising race go downhill. Although significant progress has been made in reducing the occurrence of such incidents, the risk still persists, as demonstrated today. Bottas attributed some of the setbacks to bad luck and emphasized that the pit crew could not have handled the situation differently, as it is a technical problem that requires a solution. Race director Xevi Pujolar clarified that the changes made since Jeddah were not responsible for the recent incident. Race stewards determined that the team had “lost control of a wheel nut during a pit stop, causing a potentially dangerous condition on the track during the race,” according to Alan Baldwin’s report.
