Sauber Needs 'Set Higher Targets' To Keep Up With Ever Increasing Competition

Monday, 11 December 2023 at 15:00

Sauber team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi noted his team needs to set higher targets after an unsuccessful 2023 season.

Alfa Romeo Sauber's team finished ninth in the Constructors' Championship in 2023, which is not the result the Swiss team was looking for.

Alessandro Alunni Bravi recently confessed he felt the result did not reflect Sauber's potential this season. However, the team could not keep up with the fast development pace of its rivals. Bravi told RacingNews365:

"The level of competition has increased significantly this year, and there are so many teams close to each other."

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In 2023, we have seen very closely matched groups of teams. It was leading Red Bull in front, but then pretty much equal Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, and Aston Martin.

Then it was Alpine, which was one weekend competing with the top teams and another weekend falling back and competing with the second group of closely matched teams at the back of the field, including Williams, AlphaTauri, Alfa Romeo, and Haas.

"Behind Alpine and Aston Martin there are six teams that are fighting for position, and if we are not able to execute a perfect weekend from both the teams side and the drivers side we are simply not in the points."

What is surprising is that Alfa Romeo could not get better results in the Championship despite bringing consistent upgrades. Bravi said:

"We have improved in terms of development of the car, we have been able to bring developments regularly within three or four races during the season."

The team representative suggests Alfa Romeo made a great step forward in 2023 but not great enough in comparison to other teams. Bravi believes his team needs to, therefore, set higher targets moving forward.

"We have increased our design and production capacity, and we have been more efficient from this point of view. What we haven't managed to make is a big step like McLaren, and all the teams have improved this year, so we need to set higher targets for next year's car."