Sauber F1 Team’s Double Pit Stop Blunders in Japan Raise Concerns for the Future!

In the Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Sauber F1 Team once again stunned spectators with a botched pit stop, dashing any hopes of points contention. This has cast a dark cloud over their prospects for the Chinese Grand Prix. If this trend persists, an epic disaster in China seems all but predictable.

Unfortunately, Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu faced various car issues throughout the Japanese GP weekend. He encountered an oil leak during third practice, necessitating an urgent dismantling of the fuel tank and chassis. The missed opportunity to test his car in the final practice session contributed to his underwhelming performance in qualifying.

Indeed, after hastily reassembling the car after third practice, Zhou lost complete control. The car became a lottery, with many aspects unpredictable, ultimately leading to his elimination in Q1 due to a narrow margin. On top of unresolved bolt issues, the oil tank problem highlighted the team’s astonishing lows.

However, Zhou’s worst was yet to come in the race. Despite a smooth first pit stop, clocking a 2.93-second stop – a commendable effort from the Sauber F1 Team – the car later suffered transmission issues. Zhou described it as the car failing to understand gear changes, resulting in synchronization problems during shifting.

This led to another pit stop in lap 12, but the issue persisted post-stop, exacerbated by a fire in the rear fuel tank area. Zhou was eventually forced to retire from the race.

Zhou’s retirement wasn’t the end of Sauber’s woes; it was just the beginning. During Bottas’ first stop, they recorded a 4.06-second tire change, an improvement from previous events, though still slow. Thanks to a well-timed stop, Bottas maintained his position ahead of Hulkenberg after the pit lane exit.

But the team’s misfortune continued. With a narrow gap between cars during Bottas’ second stop, even a fraction of a second could have changed positions. Sauber didn’t disappoint, delivering a 4.94-second stop that dropped Bottas from P11 to P15.

Akita, who had the most efficient pit stop, climbed to a de facto P10 after his stop, securing the only point-scoring position among the last five teams. Sauber exposed more issues in this race than in the preceding four, raising serious questions about their performance if they repeat this in the Chinese Grand Prix.