Manor relegates Sauber to last place

The Sauber team, in great financial difficulty, continues to struggle. The Swiss team once again received the wooden spoon after the Sochi qualifications. However, this debacle should not overshadow the real progress of Manor-Mercedes in 2016. Pascal Wehrlein and Rio Haryanto qualified in 20th and 21st positions and will try to challenge the Saubers, and even the Renaults and Haas, during the race.

The German from Manor finished a full second behind Felipe Nasr and was only a half-tenth ahead of his teammate. He was therefore not entirely satisfied with his performance: « The qualifications were a bit frustrating today. This morning, the track temperature was much higher, and the sun was out, so it was easier to get the tires up to temperature. This afternoon, it was more difficult to get them into their operating window. We expected more, to be honest. (…) I think the race will be a whole different story; you can see that my lap times improved so I think after 5 or 10 laps we will be in a good position » said Pascal Wehrlein after the qualification.

For his part, Rio Haryanto managed to avoid the last place: “It was an interesting session for us,” said the Indonesian. “It’s as if we have made progress. We are closer to our direct competitors than in previous races. My last lap could have been better. I suffered a bit from the traffic and lost about two-tenths in the last sector. (…) Our long runs on Friday seemed positive, so with good tire management, I’m looking forward to having a solid race tomorrow!”

Manor succeeded in bringing its tires up to temperature more easily this afternoon in Sochi. The championship underdog struggled in previous rounds with tire wear; with wear being low in Sochi, the characteristics of the Russian track suit Manor well, which also has the best top speed on the grid with the V6 unit mounted on Rio Haryanto’s car.