class=”sc-29f61514-0 icZBHN”>
According to Blick’s online survey and the many responses, more than 70 percent of fans agree: the contract extension with Valtteri Bottas (34) and Guanyu Zhou (24) is not to their liking. So the Sauber team in Hinwil ZH is still sleeping.
Heated discussions and arguments have been going on behind the scenes for weeks. Yes, there were even voices that wanted to replace both drivers. The duo had become too harmonious. When both drivers in a team get along so well, praise each other and always say the same thing, then that is poison.
In successful teams there is always some tension between the pilots, if not more. Formula 1 is a sport for the selfish, so you often have to ‘throw the pig out’. Harmony destroys one’s own fighting power. You are too quickly satisfied with yourself and the results.
It is clear that the missing points (14 from the last 27 races) do not benefit employee morale. Naturally, the car is involved in this crisis – the recent resignation of technical director Jan Monchaux (45) should improve the delicate situation. There was a quick response here regarding the 2026 Audi adventure.
But you also have to hold the drivers accountable. Only they ultimately bring the points to Hinwil. And that’s why they wanted to mix up the driver selection a little bit.
Well, terminating Bottas’ contract by the end of 2024 would have been too expensive. So in addition to the Finn, they also wanted to bring the German Nico Hülkenberg (36) back to the Zurich Oberland. But unfortunately Haas boss Günther Steiner (58) withdrew his option on the 195-time GP starter.
But then the Brazilian Felipe Drugovich (23), 2022 Formula 2 champion and replacement driver at Aston Martin-Mercedes, also came into the picture. In the end, those responsible simply lacked the courage to finally breathe new life and more fighting power into the stalled team. Or maybe it even missed millions?
It was decided to give the Chinese Guanyu Zhou a third chance. Next year the Chinese GP will return to the World Cup calendar. And from the Middle Kingdom, the estimated $12 million that Alfa Romeo would have invested annually in the team for its advertising campaign (also on Swiss TV) will now flow to the fourth oldest team in Formula 1.
In the first training session in Singapore at sunset and 32 degrees, the two Alfa-Saubers achieved the following places: 14th Bottas, 18th Zhou.
Ferrari, without a win in 24 races, dominated the first 60 minutes: Leclerc 0.078 seconds ahead of Sainz. World championship leader Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) lost only 0.126 seconds to the Monegasque. Then Norris in the new McLaren Mercedes and the factory Mercedes of Hamilton and Russell.
The highlight of the training was the appearance of an iguana on the track. When things became critical for the animal, Formula 1 TV immediately switched over.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
On the same day of the terrorist attack on the Krokus City Hall in Moscow,…
class="sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc">1/4Residents of Tenerife have had enough of noisy and dirty tourists.It's too loud, the…
class="sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc">1/7Packing his things in Munich in the summer: Thomas Tuchel.After just over a year,…
At least seven people have been killed and 57 injured in severe earthquakes in the…
The American space agency NASA would establish a uniform lunar time on behalf of the…
class="sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc">1/8Bode Obwegeser was surprised by the earthquake while he was sleeping. “It was a…