Alunni Bravi: It is necessary to solve the problem with pit stops

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, a representative of Sauber, actually admitted that the team is still without points, mainly due to a problem with pit stops, which is associated with specific design flaws.

Question: Your team had high expectations before the start of the season, but so far not everything is going according to plan. What are the problems you encountered in the first two stages of the season?
Alessandro Aluni Bravi: I don’t think we were able to use the car’s potential because we had pit stop problems twice in the first two races. For Valtteri Bottas, this happened in Bahrain, where we had the opportunity to fight for points. In Jeddah the same thing happened with Guanyu Zhou, and we were battling with Haas at that time, and the driver of this team, Nico Hulkenberg, was able to finish in the top ten.

That’s why I believe our car has potential, but for some reason we are not able to reveal it and earn points. The strengths of the teams are about equal and the rivalry is very intense, especially between the teams in the second half of the peloton, so every little detail matters.

We have to work better throughout the weekend, find the optimal settings as early as possible and give our drivers the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the car comfortably before qualifying, because this is important for them too. And of course it is necessary to solve the problem with pit stops, which greatly affected our results.

After the stage in Saudi Arabia we put a lot of effort into solving it. But this is not so easy to do, because it is connected not with one element, but with several. Before Australia we have developed a number of measures that will mitigate this and we will find a definitive solution for the next races. And of course we need to do better overall.

Question: What exactly are the problems that occur during pit stops?
Alessandro Aluni Bravi: We completely redesigned the hub, nuts and all other components to improve our pit stops, and also changed all the equipment. But now design flaws in one of the parts have emerged, so now we are also remaking this part, which obviously takes some time, including its production, etc.

Q: So this weekend you’ll be using the same equipment as in Saudi Arabia?
Alessandro Aluni Bravi: Yes, we have the same equipment, but we have already taken a number of measures to reduce the chance of a problem. In addition, we have adjusted a number of processes that depend on both drivers and mechanics. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that all this will delay the pit stops, but now it is important for us to achieve stability and guarantee the normal return of the car to the track.

Q: Changing the subject: Susie Wolff said she has filed a formal complaint against the FIA ​​in court. As far as one can understand, the teams are also concerned about the lack of transparency in the work of the federation. What exactly are you concerned about in this regard, and how should the FIA ​​ideally work?

Alessandro Aluni Bravi: Look, are we talking about complaints or legal proceedings? Transparency means that information sources must be verified, all processes must be compliant, and all interested parties must be able to review all available evidence. Also give them the opportunity to analyze everything and do their own checking.

I believe that if you have to appear in court, the issue of transparency in this context should be approached differently. In this situation, the FIA ​​​​must follow its own rules and give everyone the opportunity to get acquainted with all the materials of the case so that everyone can study them. I think that transparency in this case implies that all procedures are strictly adhered to, so that all parties have the opportunity to attend the hearings and so that everyone can present arguments in their defense.