(Sauber F1 Team)
The Sauber F1 Team had an absolutely fantastic start to
their 2015 Formula One season in Albert Park Melbourne on Sunday morning.
The Swiss based outfit but the legal issues that caused them
problems prior to the Grand Prix weekend to one side with Felipe Nasr and
Marcus Ericsson letting the C34 do all the talking on the track as the pair
racked up a double points finish for the team coming home in fifth and Marcus
Ericsson finishing the race in eighth place.
The Swiss outfit have scored more points in one race than
then did last season as in 2014 they failed to score and single point and
following their performance in Australia the team find themselves in third
place in the Constructors championship on 14 points just one point behind
Scuderia Ferrari. Speaking following his Formula One race debut Felipe Nasr
stated:
‘I am very happy with fifth position in my first
ever Formula One race. It is such a big relief for the team and myself that we
are able to score points, and I am very pleased about this achievement. It was
a tough race. Right after the start it was quite messy in turn 1, as another
driver hit my wheel. I thought the car was damaged a bit, but after a few laps
I noticed everything was fine. After that, the race went according to plan.
There was pressure from behind during the whole race, which was not easy. That
was an emotional race for me and everyone in the team.’
The team showed in Australia that they have produced a
competitive car and following their successful winter testing programme they
should have a good season although we are just one race into a very long
season. Speaking after scoring his first ever Formula One points Marcus
Ericsson stated:
‘First of all, the team has done a great job
over the winter. It is amazing for everyone in the team here in Melbourne and
also back home in the factory to get this result in the first race weekend of
the 2015 season. We have seen good progress during pre-season testing, and with
this achievement I am really happy for everyone. For me as a driver, I have
scored my first points in Formula One, which is a big goal achieved. Now, we
can build on this for the next race.’
The team head to the next race in Malaysia hoping to
continue their forward momentum as it is very clear that they made huge steps
over the winter having two cars finish in the points is a fantastic achievement
considering what happened with the team last season.
Speaking about the race, Sauber F1 Team’s Head of Track
Engineering Giampaolo Dall’Ara stated:
‘It was definitely a great Sunday with a great
result. We had a pretty troublefree race. With Felipe we stuck to the
original strategy we had planned for him. I have to say that he did an
excellent job making up places and keeping Daniel Ricciardo behind him. He
drove a fantastic race all the way. Reaching P5 in his first Formula One race
was an outstanding achievement. Marcus had to start from further behind and was
on the medium tyres. Nevertheless he managed to make up a couple of places on
lap one. Then we decided to bring him in during the safety car period and put
him on the soft tyres to give him a boost. We gave up a couple of positions,
which he was able to recover quickly. At some point we had to make the decision
whether to leave him out or to go more aggressively and stop again. We went for
the second option and asked him to push to the maximum. He did a very good job
and was able to overtake Carlos Sainz Jr. and clinch eighth position. Everybody
in the team did a fantastic job and I’m really happy about what we delivered
today.’
Sauber F1 Team Principal Monisha Keltenborn concluded by
saying:
‘That was a great achievement by the whole team.
We already saw during qualifying that we are competitive, but being able to
achieve these positions by our own efforts is a bit of a surprise. It is a
confirmation of our hard work and a great reward for the team that had to deal
with unfavourable circumstances. This applies to the crew in Hinwil as well as
to the team at the race track. It was an outstanding achievement which we have
to be proud of. Obviously, I am very happy about our two drivers who both put
in a great performance, and in the end they made this great result possible for
us.’
© Ben Johnston 2015
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