The Sauber C31 is reliable according to Kobayashi

Although they completed 182 and 116 laps respectively on the Spanish circuit, the Sauber drivers experienced some difficulties with the C31 last week. Indeed, on the first day, a problem with the fuel system deprived the team of time on the track. On Wednesday, the mechanics had to change the oil filter on the gearbox, which prevented Sergio Pérez from driving. Finally, a hydraulic problem shortened Kobayashi’s testing session.

Nevertheless, the Japanese believe that this is due to the preparation of the new car, and that the problems should not be a concern: « This week in Jerez, we used the car for 4 days and problems can sometimes arise. The car is new and the purpose of these tests is precisely to prevent issues so that they can be avoided in the future.

We need to accumulate the miles. Granted, we’ve had a few problems, but we have improved the situation! », he declared, rather optimistically.

Kobayashi wants to be quite reassuring for the rest of the season. He notably made a point of comparing the performances of the C31 to the C29 of 2010 at the same period: « During the winter tests in 2010, we hardly had any problems. But it’s during the races that the issues arose! This year, the situation is reversed: we had some problems during testing but we understood and corrected them to ensure they don’t happen again. »

Even though, according to him, there is still significant work to be done to perfect the car, its potential seems good and promising: « We are currently checking the aerodynamic settings and the efficiency of a few changes, which could help us in the development of the C31. We can certainly improve a lot of things. This is the first stage of development, but as far as I’m concerned, I am satisfied with the car », concluded Kobayashi, who hopes to repeat his racing exploits in 2012.