STAKE F1 TEAM KICK SAUBER

[Aty]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Dutch GP 2024.

Kick Sauber Ferrari team is the only stable having both cars two laps down from a leader at the end of race. There is not much more to say other than James Key as a technical director at Sauber is not generating best of impressions on me. Binotto - for now - will need to step in and tell Key what to do, and what not to do. I didn't expect miracles, but nine teams moving forward, Sauber is trying to find bottom of the barrel.

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative: "Today has potentially been the most difficult race of the season for us. Without any retirement in front of us, we finished at the bottom of the field in P19 and P20, being lapped twice – a hard picture of our current race pace. We obviously lack performance in race conditions, and we have also seen that we experience higher tyre degradation than our competitors. So, no matter the strategy, we can't change the result. We found ourselves in a very difficult situation and we need to understand whether today's performance is more related to the track characteristics, due to wind conditions and corner balance. We must have a strong reaction as we need to change the trajectory of this season as soon as possible – starting from Monza."

[Aty]

Sauber Motorsport appoints Florian Büngener as Chief Communications Officer as it ramps up Audi F1 factory team structures

[Aty]

"Don't look now"

One thing is certain: The C44 is now the worst car in the field. Sauber has not yet scored a single point in last place in the World Championship. The updates from the formerly state-of-the-art wind tunnel are no longer effective. And the drivers seem unmotivated and overwhelmed.

At least: Sauber has the next chance to work its way up from the bottom of Formula 1 as early as next weekend in Monza. This is desperately needed: As F1 Insider learned, the new project manager Mattia Binotto and Audi board member and Sauber supervisory board member Gernot Döllner are to be in the paddock for the first time.

https://f1-insider.com/formel-1-audi-ne ... e_vignette

Well, there is not much to do other than find more good people and convince them to get involved in this mess. I don't have any interesting inside, but my guess is James Key should be refreshing his CV.

[Aty]

Imola. Another sad day.

Mattia Binotto and Dr. Gernot Döllner witnessed carnage first hand. I guess the chief doesn't like to be embarrassed as they were. I wait now for response, and there will be one, no doubt about it.

[Aty]

Monza: Binotto and Dr. Döllner in attendance

Theo Pourchaire, Gabriele Bortoletto, Valtteri Bottas...anyone else want a drive? (Mick? Seb?)

Audi names two rookie contenders for 2025 F1 seat

Audi names two rookie contenders for 2025 F1 seat

Audi-CEO Dr. Döllner: We need to be patient, and adjust our time frame in-line with reality.

Ed. race track name change;

[Everso Biggyballies]

Imola: Binotto and Dr. Döllner in attendance

Theo Pourchaire, Gabriele Bortoletto, Valtteri Bottas...anyone else want a drive? (Mick? Seb?)

Audi names two rookie contenders for 2025 F1 seat

Audi-CEO Dr. Döllner: We need to be patient, and adjust our time frame in-line with reality.

It has been mentioned a few times by others but you keep referring to Imola as being last weekend. It wasnt.

The Emilia-Romagna GP was held at Imola and was many months ago. This last weekend race, the ITALIAN GP, was held at MONZA as it has been every year bar once (1980) in the post 1950 period.

As to this point you make Theo Pourchaire has for many years been a Sauber Academy driver, and who Sauber ran in the F3 and F2 feeder series.... Theo was FIA F2 Champion last year, 2023. He has been Sauber / Audi reserve driver this year, and also ran in selected Indycar races this year Theo was planning to do a full year of Super Formula in Japan but an opportunity to race in Indycar with Arrow-McLaren came up. He raced with them, but was replaced by a pay driver at Arrow-McLaren before being. recalled to stand in for an injured driver with the same team.

He is very highly thought of, and in my belief is worthy of an F1 drive. He is an obvious contender for the Sauber Audi seat given he has been with the team for many years.

Bortoletto is another driver with great potential and has indeed made the likes of Antonelli look very average in F2 this year. (Bortoletto is currently running 2nd in the Championship by just a few points and won last weekend at Monza in the Feature race)

Either driver would be a good pick for the team alongside Hulkenberg and would benefit from a years grounding prior to the Audi takeover. Not sure what the other names mentioned would offer to Sauber or Audi either short or long term. Vettel has not really indicated any wish to return to F1. in its still environmentally unfriendly 2025 specification. WEC outings fit much more with his personal beliefs than F1 given the WEC use of totally sustainable fuels.

Im not sure what Schumacher can offer that Bortolletto or Pourchaire cant, especially following Vowles confirmation that Schumacher, although mentioned by some as a Sargeant replacement, was neverr a consideration and was "Nothing special". Binotto himself of course has his own beliefs re Schumacher and indeed IIRC released him from the Ferrari Academy.

[Aty]

I think Mick should get a fair chance at least once in his life. I don't know how serious he was, but Seb - said Helmut - considered recently return (Mercedes and RB). I hope to be forgiven for what I am about to say, but Vowles in his current job is probably deeper over his head, than Schumacher would be in the second Audi seat, and I leave it at that. Don't take my word for it, and go back to BusinessF1 mag to learn what people who know him think about his managerial abilities.

Back to juniors, I am not totally on board Sauber taking new blood on, and destroying their career by letting them drive one miserable car. New guys need to drive, learn, and progress with their style working with proper tools. Sauber it isn't.

[Michael Ferner]

Well, I think Mick Schumacher did have a fair chance in life, in fact he got 48 (two years of F1, I don't recall the exact number of races then), much more than anyone else without that name would have gotten. And we all could see that he has the name, but not the talent.

[DoubleFart]

Well, I think Mick Schumacher did have a fair chance in life, in fact he got 48 (two years of F1, I don't recall the exact number of races then), much more than anyone else without that name would have gotten. And we all could see that he has the name, but not the talent.

You're talking to a brick wall Michael. Aty has made their decisions - Vowels is riding off the work done by a man who left 18 years before, but Komatsu is responsible for the success of a car he's overseen for 6 months, and Steiner has no bearing on tha despite overseeing the entire development period. That bias therefore leads to him treating Mick badly, and that's the reason he was poor. The fact Vowels says he's nothing special and Toto is promoting a rookie in F2 into Hamilton's spot says it all about Mick.

But hey, refer to a business F1 article that's certainly not got any bias and you'll see!

[Michael Ferner]

Well, I think Mick Schumacher did have a fair chance in life, in fact he got 48 (two years of F1, I don't recall the exact number of races then), much more than anyone else without that name would have gotten. And we all could see that he has the name, but not the talent.

You're talking to a brick wall Michael.

True. Sometimes, I enjoy doing just that

[Aty]

Notes from Monza:

“After I joined Audi, in September of last year, we did an evaluation of our project, and it ended up with the set-up we found, and also we maybe recalibrated our time path to a more realistic one. We can’t tell details as we are still discussing several aspects of how to sort it out, but I think we are quite realistic when it comes to time,” ventured Binotto.

I have to admit regarding Matia's time line, this is news to me, despite trying to keep up with all relevant announcements. I am not sure how this could had been lost in media. It was a significant event, and it places after fact Seidl's departure into mystery zone. I am wondering if Dr. Döllner had intention to switch management from the day one he was installed as the Audi CEO.

So, Mattia was planning in his office, while Andreas was flying with an outdated organization. I am surprised.Total takeover of the team is after all only a few months old. Witnessing slow progress, one is left wondering whether it is easier to dig a hole in the ground for foundations and start from scratch, or going through mechanics associated with upgrading existing facility, exactly what Audi deals with at Hinwil.

I don't hear anything about naming a second driver. Media can be safely ignored. From claiming any moment Newey is moving to Ferrari, sudenly he is any moment moving somewhere else. Just irresponsible "make up work to stay relevant". They have no clue, and Binotto stays silent.

There are things we see, and others we don't.

[Aty]

A litle personal note. After a few thoughts I am leaving this thread, discontinue with updates, or journaling. I have no plans to return any time soon to this place, but in time it may change. I do love Audi (and many other things), that will not change,

[Michael Ferner]

I am sure that hiring a number two driver is waaaaay down the priority list at Audi right now. If they are anything like serious about the job, it will be almost literally the last thing on their minds, and rightly so.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Not really race related news but a bit of fun and it involves the team......

WhistlePig just announced its second annual collaboration with Formula 1 Racing, a new rye whiskey that was given a highly unusual finish in gin barrels. The reason for that unlikely combination? Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber driver and delightful renaissance man Valtteri Bottas has his own gin brand.

In the TV ad below, VB tells us the difference between Fast and Slow.

[PTRACER]

Not really race related news but a bit of fun and it involves the team......

WhistlePig just announced its second annual collaboration with Formula 1 Racing, a new rye whiskey that was given a highly unusual finish in gin barrels. The reason for that unlikely combination? Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber driver and delightful renaissance man Valtteri Bottas has his own gin brand.

In the TV ad below, VB tells us the difference between Fast and Slow.

It's so weird how Valtteri Bottas has become his own kind of social media meme in the last year. I like it though (and shame there won't be any more since he's out of F1)