Valtteri Bottas admits Sauber ‘surprised’ him during pre-season testing in Bahrain as the Formula 1 team seems to have fixed a long-standing issue with their car in 2024. It is Bottas’ third season with the Hinwil, Switzerland-based squad as Sauber transition from a title sponsorship with Alfa Romeo to Stake F1 Team. The new name is not the only change, though, as the 34-year-old feels the C44 marks a significant improvement to last year’s C43. The C43 was only good enough for Bottas and teammate Zhou Guanyu to secure Sauber P9 in the constructors’ championship. It took the Swiss squad to 16 p…