Valtteri Bottas, Finnish driver for Sauber, expressed his frustration with the team’s performance at the Japanese Grand Prix. Despite showing promising pace, Bottas was unable to secure a points-scoring position due to various factors. He managed to gain two positions at the start of the race, but fell behind after a slow pit stop and getting stuck behind Kevin Magnussen’s Haas. Bottas acknowledged that being behind Magnussen made it difficult to overtake and that the team’s strategy did not bring the desired result. He also noted that the Suzuka circuit was challenging for overtaking, especially with the Haas performing well on the straights.
The former Mercedes driver also raised doubts about the timing of his second pit stop, which resulted in being overtaken by several competitors and finishing in 14th place.
“Our race was going very well until the second pit stop. I have some concerns about the timing of this stop, considering that our team is still not perfect with pit stops. Unfortunately, there was an issue and we found ourselves at the back of the pack,” Bottas expressed his disappointment.
Bottas firmly believes that if Sauber’s pit stop had gone smoothly, he could have had a strong battle with RB’s Yuki Tsunoda for the final points-scoring position.
“I think we could have been up there with Yuki if it wasn’t for the issue during the second pit stop. It’s a shame,” he added.
“We could have also explored other options, like extending the middle stint to find some clear space on track, because we had good pace today. We will definitely review everything.”
When asked about his emotions leaving Suzuka without scoring points, the Sauber driver admitted to feeling “disappointed” for not being rewarded in the first four races.
However, Bottas remains hopeful that the Sauber C44 car was faster than the results indicate, and he believes that the recent updates were a step in the right direction.
“It was definitely an improvement, and it will also benefit us in China. The track there also has many high-speed sections,” he explained.
“I think, in terms of pace, we should have been around tenth place today, which is positive and gives us confidence for China.”
