F1 | Sauber: too many errors in the pit stops, we work on the nut

It hasn't been an easy start to the season at Sauber. Although there are some encouraging signs in terms of race pace, on the other hand there are elements on which it is necessary to try to make tangible progress which negatively influenced the first two events.

The first problem is undoubtedly that of performance on the flying lap, because starting from behind on the grid represents a risk. In Sakhir, good tire management helped make the difference by helping to anticipate the stops, with a third and final stint however entirely in defence. In Saudi Arabia it was the strategy that played in favor, even if problems with the ignition of the tires and overheating of the car had a negative impact on the result.

However, in both the first two rounds of the championship there is another common element that has had its own specific impact, namely errors during the pit stops. In Bahrain Valtteri Bottas lost almost 50 seconds on his second stop due to a threading problem on the left front, while in Jeddah Zhou Guanyu lost twenty-five seconds due to the same problem.

Although these situations did not deprive Sauber of the opportunity to fight for points, it is also true that when this possibility arises, everything will have to be perfect, because with such a compact grid and the top five teams that seem to have an advantage on the competition, at the moment there is no great chance for the other five teams to consistently fight for the top ten.

Team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi confirmed that the team is working to resolve the problem, but it will not be easy to find a solution in a short time. “First of all, for me it is very important to say that it was not a mistake of our mechanics, who are doing a great job,” the Italian told Motorsport.com.

“We know we have a problem, a problem that also occurred in Bahrain on Valtteri's car and this time on Zhou's. We have investigated and are working to resolve the problem as soon as possible. And we are reviewing the parts so as not to have any more this problem in the next races”.

This year many teams have revised their pit stop equipment. There are those who have purchased new guns like Alpine, but also those who have significantly modified the die. In an effort to make quicker stops, Sauber has also made some changes to its equipment. We have new equipment, we have a new design of all parts. But of course there is something that needs to be improved,” said Alunni Bravi.

the mechanics of the Stake F1 Team with Zhou Guanyu's car, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber C44

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

“And we are working in all areas with a 360-degree approach to have more consistent pit stops, fast pit stops, but also to not have any kind of problems. For us it is fundamental because we have had this problem in the last two races. So we can't afford to have problems during the GPs, because the car's potential is there to fight for points. Of course we compromised this opportunity in both Bahrain and Jeddah due to a problem. It is a problem that we have analyzed and that we are trying to solve.”

Xevi Pujolar, one of the leading technical figures in the team, confirmed that this will be one of the priorities for the next races, but to resolve this situation it will be necessary to review the entire wheel nut design. In fact, what caused the delay in the pit on both occasions was a problem with the nut, which remained stripped, making it more difficult for the gun to use the force to unscrew it correctly.

“I think it's clear that we're not where we want to be yet. And we need to make more changes for Melbourne. Because we're too fragile, I would say. There's nothing wrong with the mechanics, who are doing a reasonable job. But we had a problem again. So now we just have to investigate and try to find some solution for the next race, to be more robust. But it takes time, because we have to change the wheel nut.”