Busy March sees Sauber Academy kicking off 2024 campaigns
Hinwil – It’s been a month packed with action for the Sauber Academy, with testing, racing, simulator work and training. As March unfolded, four of our five young drivers officially kicked off their respective 2024 campaigns between Europe, the Middle East, and Japan.
As part of his Reserve Driver duties, Théo Pourchaire supported Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, gathering crucial data at the simulator as the team hit the track at the Sakhir circuit. He then flew to Japan the following week, to make his Super Formula debut in Suzuka. Coming from three seasons in Formula 2, the latter of which saw him being crowned Champion, the young Frenchman had quickly adapted to the new machinery during pre-season testing. In a difficult debut weekend for the team, with both cars struggling throughout the sessions, Théo only managed to claim the fifteenth spot on the grid, ahead of teammate, Yuji Kunimoto; he ultimately ended up outside of the points at the end of a challenging race. Théo will continue supporting Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber both trackside and at the simulator in Hinwil over the next months, as he prepares for the next Super Formula round in May, hoping to put the first challenging weekend behind him and go for a fresh start.
Zane Maloney, the most recent addition to the Academy roster, enjoyed a stellar weekend in Bahrain, at the opening round of the 2024 FIA Formula 2 Championship. Starting his second season in the series, Zane promptly adapted to the next-generation F2 car, showing his quick pace from the first session of the weekend, and claiming the fourth sport on the grid in qualifying – which was then upgraded to third following Kush Maini’s disqualification from pole position. As per the reverse grid rule, the young Barbadian lined up in eighth position ahead of Saturday’s Sprint Race, climbing up the grid after a strong start. Fastest throughout the sectors, Zane eventually took the lead from Jak Crawford on Lap 8 – keeping a firm grasp on it until the chequered flag, as he cruised to his maiden F2 victory with a gap of over five seconds. That wasn’t it for The Boy from Barbados, who took the lead from third with a brilliant start in Sunday’s Feature Race, maintaining it after the Safety Car period, and quickly extending his advantage. It was another strong performance for Zane, who eventually won the race with a four-and-a-half-second gap over Josep María Martí, reinforcing his position at the top of the championship.
Action resumed the following weekend in Saudi Arabia, at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Despite the promising pace showed in practice, Zane endured a difficult qualifying session affected by a hydraulic issue, which also caused problems on the gearshift, ultimately relegating him in P16 – then turned into P15 as pole-sitter Oliver Bearman withdrew from the race weekend to replace Carlos Sainz in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Charging through the field was always going to be a tough job, but the young Barbadian came prepared, climbing up to P5 at the end of the Sprint Race and reaching P7 in the Feature Race; it was a good recovery weekend for Zane, who left Jeddah maintaining the top place in the standings.
After a week break, Formula 2 activities moved Down Under for the third round of the season in Melbourne, Australia. Always in the top five throughout the sessions, Zane claimed P5 in Qualifying – which saw him lining up sixth on Saturday’s reversed grid. The Barbadian progressed up to P4 after Martí’s and Bortoleto’s early retirements – a progress that was undone at the restart after a brief safety car period, when Zane went wide at Turn Six and dropped to tenth, outside of the points. Sunday’s Feature Race was a different story for the Barbadian, who battled his way up to the podium – finishing in third position at the chequered flag and maintaining his lead on the standings with a 15-points gap.
Entering her second season under the Sauber Academy aegis, Léna Bühler dedicated the recent months to training and preparing for her 2024 Formula Regional European Championship campaign. After having finished second in the debut F1 Academy season in 2023, the Swiss racer will make her return to Formula Regional this year, where she previously raced between 2021 and 2022, having shared the garage with future fellow Sauber Academy driver, Zane Maloney. Léna will be testing in Barcelona, Le Castellet, and Hockenheim next April, ahead of the first round of the championship, on the German track, set to be held in May.
Following stints in the Formula 4 UAE Championship and Formula Winter Series in preparation of the season ahead, Carrie Schreiner kicked off her 2024 F1 Academy campaign in Jeddah; it’s the second season in the series for the talented German, the first representing the Sauber Academy and Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber. Starting the two races from P12 and P11 respectively, Carrie managed to recover positions in both races, moving up into the top ten and achieving two points finishes. F1 Academy will resume activities in Miami in early May, as a support series to the Miami Grand Prix.
The youngest member of Sauber’s driver development programme, Taym Saleh returned to racing in Valencia in early March, after an arm injury in late November kept him away from competitions to fully recover. Lining up for Round One of the 2024 Champions of the Future series, Taym unfortunately didn’t manage to qualify for the Super Heats – putting an early end to his weekend. Despite the upsetting result, the weekend was still important for the young German to return behind the wheel and regain confidence on track after a prolonged break. Taym raced again in Valencia for Round One of the FIA European Championship. Improving his performance and his overall feeling on track, the Sauber Karting Team racer made it into the Super Heats in fifth place, claiming a spot in the main final. An unfortunate technical issue prevented him from properly getting in the mix during the race, ultimately finishing outside of the Top 20. Taym will be back on track again in mid-April in Val D’Argenton, France.
Come spring, all five drivers with face another busy period, engaged with activities on and off the track as they proudly represent the Sauber Academy in their respective campaigns.