‘Why do they exist?’ Martin Brundle questions one team’s involvement in F1

The Sauber team finished ninth in the F1 2023 constructors’ championship, only beating fellow Ferrari customer team, Haas.

It was a significant step back for the Swiss-based team, who finished sixth in the 2022 championship.

Sauber will be taken over by German giant Audi from 2026 - but with two years ahead of them - it could be another difficult campaign in 2024.

Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 review show, Brundle assessed Sauber’s involvement in the sport over the years.

“They’ve shown some pace from time to time, not so much this season as last year,” he said.

“But particularly with Valtteri Bottas I think it’s a solid set-up, let’s call it Sauber, I’ve always wondered kind of why they existed, what they were aiming for, where’s the goal when with other teams it’s quite clear what they’re trying to do.

“But it’s a serious team based in Switzerland, they’ll launch the car in Great Britain in 2024. I wouldn’t underestimate them but they just seem to spin their wheels around the same place in the world championships.

“So, something needs to change, that change could of course well be Audi progressively taking the team over ready for a 2026 onslaught.”

Valtteri Bottas will remain alongside Zhou Guanyu for 2024 - the third consecutive year together as teammates.