Nasr two fingers away from Q3, Ericsson disappoints
After a weekend start complicated by the van der Garde affair, the Sauber team experienced a qualifying session full of promise in Melbourne.
For his first Formula 1 Grand Prix, Felipe Nasr was just a few hundredths short of making it to Q3. A great performance by the Brazilian, who was not placed in good conditions to discover the Albert Park circuit.
« As a team, we can be proud of being close to Q3, » explains Nasr. « Missing out on FP1 affected our car’s performance, and I had a bit less time to get to know the Melbourne circuit. So I’m satisfied with the result and looking forward to the race. Tomorrow is an important day as it will be my first Grand Prix, and we will push hard to score points. »
For his part, Marcus Ericsson was more than disappointing as the Swede did not make it past Q1. He explains this underperformance by a lack of confidence behind the wheel of his Sauber C34.
“I’m disappointed to finish 16th,” sighs Ericsson. “We cannot be satisfied with this result. I had good feelings yesterday, but today I wasn’t confident, especially in the braking zones. We need to analyze the data tonight to see what has changed since yesterday. Tomorrow is another day.”
