Sauber last scored a year ago

Sauber last scored Formula 1 championship points exactly a year and a day ago when, as Alfa Romeo, it bagged a double-points finish at the Qatar Grand Prix.

Since then, its reversion to the Sauber brand name has not been particularly conducive to success; the team is the only remaining outfit to remain point-less this season. Pitstop delays in the early season and a lack of performance gains with its modest development curve have effectively left the team treading water at the back of the grid.

PLUS: Will Sauber’s C44 go down as F1’s best point-less car, or are there better contenders?

Sauber currently sits in a holding pattern while investment goes towards preparation for 2026, when the team will become the works Audi outfit. Even then, the pursuit of championship success will remain a work in progress as investment into the team’s Hinwil facilities increases. 

This is something that current board member and team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi is well aware of, noting the resources that the likes of McLaren and Aston Martin have put into new facilities. 

The Italian, whose future at the team remains unknown as Jonathan Wheatley will assume most of his duties when he comes in as team principal, says that every asset the team has in Switzerland has room for improvement.

“We have seen a change in the management structure in the last 18 months, both from the Audi side and Sauber side,” Alunni Bravi reflected.

“So I think that there was a clear revision of the project, realignment of the targets according to the task that we have ahead of us. 

“I was always confident that the challenge in Formula 1 is completely different from any other motorsport category. And of course, we have a lot of work ahead of us to catch up with our competitors. 

“We need to ramp up in terms of staffing, in terms of facilities, in terms of technology, in terms of tools. But we knew this. 

“I think now there is a more accurate understanding of what it needs – not [only] to improve, but to become a winning team. And with the experience of Mattia [Binotto, Sauber’s COO/CTO], the commitment of [Audi CEO Gernot] Dollner, I think that they share a clear vision about the trajectory of this team, of what is needed. 

“If you look at the investment made by McLaren, they decided to do a new wind tunnel. At Aston Martin, what…