Sauber: A Complicated Debut for Nasr and Ericsson

The Sauber F1 team experienced a complicated start to the weekend in Australia, both in terms of off-track issues with the legal battles involving Giedo van der Garde, and on the sporting side with an absence on track during the first free practice session.

But despite this hour and a half lost, the two drivers of the Swiss team are satisfied with their track time. Marcus Ericsson (n°9) only managed to set the 15th best time, having lost valuable track time as he explained after FP2: “It was a good start today, although it’s a shame that a mechanical problem forced us to stop our running halfway through the session. I still managed to do a stint on medium tires during which I was able to improve my lap times and had better feelings with the car, but I didn’t have the opportunity to test the softs.”

Felipe Nasr (#12) made his official debut and it wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t enough to discourage the Brazilian, who finished 11th in FP2: « The second session was important for us. As it’s my first time driving on the Melbourne track, I had to learn the circuit quickly, but overall I am satisfied with the session. We were able to see how the car reacts and gather some good data. »

Even though he is satisfied with this first session, he knows he should be able to do better tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday: « On my side as well as on the car’s side, there is more to come. »

Giampaolo Dall’Ara, the head of track engineering, reveals that the team’s first official minutes were dedicated to running two drivers and adapting the car to their preferences: « Today, we had a shortened program. Our two drivers had a long stint on mediums to check the car’s balance and possibly make setup changes, but also to give them the chance to drive the car. »

The goal of the Hinwil team is now to improve the C34 for qualifying and the race: « We now have work to do on the data collected today to optimize the settings. »