Former F1 winner faces vital year - What to expect from Sauber in 2024

It won't be long until F1 teams begin to take the covers off theirnew challengers for the upcoming season as we eagerly anticipatethe first track running of the year in the Bahrain test. Ahead ofthe car launches, RacingNews365 will take a look at what to expectfrom each team ahead of the new campaign and next up is Sauber,which finished ninth in the Constructors' standings last term. Anew identity The full identity is yet to be revealed, includingwhat the car design will be, but following Alfa Romeo's departure,Sauber will be known as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber for the newseason. The Hinwil-based outfit will alternate between Stake andKick depending on race location due to various advertising andgambling laws, though we will denote the team as simply 'Sauber'.Its new identity will carry the team through until it officiallybecomes Audi, with the German manufacturer entering F1 in 2026.Technical changes to prove difference? Former McLaren TeamPrincipal Andreas Seidl made the switch to Sauber last winter tobecome CEO and replace now-Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur. TheGerman made his first significant change when snatching up JamesKey after he had been let go by McLaren mid-season, with the Britonjoining the technical team. Whilst he won't take full control ofthe reigns for the new challenger, he will likely have begun to puthis footprint on the Swiss outfit as it tries to overcome some ofthe shortcomings from a disappointing 2023 season. Zhou to take astep forward? There is no doubt that Zhou Guanyu has proven a lotof his doubters wrong with his performances over the past twoyears. When he made the step up from F2, many suggested that it wasa commercial-driven decision from Sauber, yet his form compared toteammate Valtteri Bottas has been impressive. Looking closely atthe races, it is evident results could have been greater had it notbeen for Safety Car misfortune or reliability issues - particularlyin his rookie year - but now there is a need for a step-up tocement his place on the grid for the future. One huge motivatingfactor will be the return of the Chinese Grand Prix, marking thefirst time the crowd will have a home hero to cheer on through theevent. This is a huge boost not just to Zhou, but F1 itself. Bottasthe leader Something just didn't click for Bottas last term. Weknow just how good the Finn can perform from his time at Mercedes,where he would outperform the field when on a going day. His finalvictory at the Turkish Grand Prix in 2021 was nothing short ofstunning. Yet last season, whether it was synergy with themachinery or simply a lack of form from Bottas, he was way off hisbest. Form did pick up towards the end of the season which doesprovide optimism into the new campaign, but that step up is needed.Bottas has to lead the team in the next phase of its journey -arguably the most important few years in Sauber's history - and afast start will underline his worth to the operation. Ferrarireliability crucial As mentioned above, many strong results havebeen let down by reliability, whether through Sauber's own fault orFerrari's power unit. The Scuderia has struggled itself withmechanical gremlins over the past two years and will be workingfeverishly to ensure another campaign is not hindered by suchissues. That will trickle down to the customer teams and, ifrectified, Sauber will be in a much stronger position to attempt topick up regular points scores. Ninth was not what the team wouldhave been hoping for after such a strong 2022 campaign - a returnto that form will be much welcomed.