'Harmonious' Sauber team is 'vegetating' - pundits

Alfa Romeo, which will revert to its Sauber moniker for 2024 as the naming sponsor departs Formula 1, is merely treading water in Formula 1 ahead of the 2026 transition to works Audi status.

That is the concerned observation of two well-known and experienced F1 pundits, including Sky Deutschland commentator Sascha Roos.

Ahead of the 2023 season, he had predicted that with Andreas Seidl staying in the Hinwil factory this year to oversee the Audi transition, the Swiss-based team would "blossom" this year.

Ultimately, 2023 turned out to be almost anonymous for drivers Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou as Alfa Romeo only managed to beat the hapless Haas in the constructors' championship.

"The team is vegetating a bit," Roos admits. "This . . .