We analyzed the data and look at the team duels of the 2024 F1 season: This is how the Sauber drivers Guanyu Zhou and Valtteri Bottas fared against each other
Points often only tell part of the story, so we took a closer look at the data from our technology partner PACETEQ to find out how Formula One teammates actually performed in 2024.
With precise time differences and detailed analysis of their individual strengths and weaknesses, we can paint a clear picture: Who was really the better driver this season? And we start with the Sauber team.
Was Bottas significantly faster than expected?
Zhou vs. Bottas
Qualifying duel: 3-21
Qualifying pace: +0.63 seconds
In the championship standings, Zhou finished ahead of Bottas in Qatar with his points result, but the data tells a different story about the balance of power within the team. In qualifying, Bottas was clearly the faster Sauber driver, with an average lead of 0.63 seconds.
However, the big difference on a fast lap only really became apparent at the end of the season, when Sauber was able to catch up with the midfield again with updates. One example of this is Abu Dhabi: Bottas was ninth in qualifying, Zhou 17th. Before that, the Sauber C44 was so slow that both drivers were often eliminated in Q1 and the faster pace was of little use to Bottas.
That was Bottas’ big weakness
Zhou vs. Bottas
Race duel: 10-14
Race pace: +0.01 seconds per lap
Points: 4-0
Interestingly, there was a huge difference between qualifying and race pace. While Bottas was still over six-tenths faster on average on a fast lap, the race pace of the two was practically equal. On average across all 24 races, the Finn was only 0.01 seconds per lap faster than Zhou here. But why is that?
The big factor is tire wear. Even in his Mercedes days, Bottas was lightning fast in qualifying – he managed a whopping 20 pole positions – but in the race, he usually had no chance against Lewis Hamilton. A similar trend emerged in 2024. On average, Bottas wore his tires by 0.095 seconds per lap across all races, while Zhou’s average degradation was just 0.078 seconds per lap.
Extrapolated to a two-stop race of 60 laps, this would mean that Bottas would finish eleven seconds behind Zhou at the same pace only due to higher wear. Thus, Bottas was also the initially faster driver in the races, but the higher tire wear ensured that the two Sauber drivers were practically on par.
In the end, the Finn finished a season with zero points for the first time in his Formula One career, putting him only 22nd in the championship. His teammate Zhou finished the season in 20th place, but the data shows that Bottas was actually the better Sauber driver in 2024, despite tire problems in the race.
