F1 News: Sauber's Pitstop Problems Could Be Fixed For This Grand Prix

Sauber F1 driver Valtteri Bottas has revealed that the team's pit stop problems surrounding the wheel nut could be solved completely, but only after the Chinese Grand Prix. The Finnish driver faced problems in Melbourne, while his teammate Zhou Guanyu, missed a points finish in Saudi Arabia due to the same problem.

Key Takeaways:

• Sauber F1 driver Valtteri Bottas acknowledges that the team's pit stop issues, related to wheel nuts, may only be completely resolved after the Chinese Grand Prix. Both he and teammate Zhou Guanyu faced setbacks due to this problem in previous races.
• The team has identified the root cause as wheel nuts becoming cross-threaded during wheel changes. Despite adjustments to their pit-stop strategy, Bottas experienced a significant time loss during his first stop in Melbourne, leading to a €5000 fine for a wheel nut incident during his second stop.
• Bottas reveals that while the team is implementing measures to address the pit stop issue at Suzuka, a definitive solution may only be achieved after the Chinese Grand Prix. Despite aiming for a smooth Japanese GP weekend, resolving the pit stop issue remains a top priority for the team.

The team clarified that the problem lies in wheel nuts becoming cross-threaded during wheel changes. Despite adjusting its pit-stop strategy to address the issue at the Australian Grand Prix, Bottas suffered a significant loss of 30 seconds during his initial stop. Furthermore, during the second stop, Sauber incurred a €5000 fine when a wheel nut rolled across the pit lane from his C44 F1 car.

Heading into the Grand Prix weekend at Suzuka, Bottas disclosed that the team intends to tackle the issue by adjusting the pit stop procedure. However, he emphasized that this wouldn't provide a definitive solution but should diminish the likelihood of a recurrence. He mentioned that a definitive solution is expected to be implemented only during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend.

When asked by Autosport if he was still expecting Sauber to face further pitstop issues at Suzuka, he said:

“Some measures have been taken, but it’s not still 100% fixed unfortunately.

“But, again, the chance of having an issue should be lower. Basically, it is an issue that we didn’t know it before the season that it would be an issue and it’s not a quick fix.

“But there is a 100% fix planned hopefully for China. Still not 100% sure. But here, extra measures have been taken on that.”

Jun 19, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas of Finland walks on the

David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports

Although Bottas anticipates a "clean" Japanese GP weekend, he stressed that resolving the pit stop issue remains a top priority for the team. He said:

“But we’re in this together. I was disappointed, but the whole team was disappointed because these things shouldn’t happen.

“So, we’re definitely taking it seriously and it is a priority now to get that sorted.”

He added:

“For sure, I’ll be hoping for a clean weekend.

“Even if we don’t need to have the fastest pitstops but can be consistent this weekend – that would be important.

“But I think it will also be important for the pit crew to have clean stops. For the confidence and everything.

“So, let’s hope for that, but hopefully I don’t need to think about it too much.”