Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsSauber

Nasr concerned by Sauber development

Felipe Nasr is concerned Sauber will not be able to update its car enough compared to its rivals at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Sauber has started the season strongly, with Nasr finishing fifth in the opening race of the season in Australia and following that up with further points as he finished eighth in China. Team-mate Marcus Ericsson also scored points in the same races as the Ferrari power unit has helped Sauber make a major step forward, but Nasr is worried top ten finishes are already proving harder to come by.

“I always kept my feet on the ground and I always send the message that I’m aware of the limitations we have right now with our package,” Nasr said. “We should really be able to do the best we can with what we have in our hands. Points have always been the aim for me and it will be until the end of the season, no matter what.

“I think it won’t change our focus because for me I already feel it is getting more and more difficult to be in the points again because the competition is picking up pace. Some teams are already developing and progressing with their cars.

“Speaking about the progression I felt a little bit disappointed our front wing didn’t work [in Bahrain] which could have brought us 0.2-0.3s like we saw in the numbers back in the factory. So it’s a bit disappointing because it could have been a different story starting from qualifying and having better pace in the race, so hopefully we can do something back in the factory and bring something better to Barcelona.”

And looking ahead to the next race in Spain, Nasr admits he is concerned Sauber could find itself left behind in the development race.

“Barcelona as a track is definitely a demanding one on the downforce side which is something we are lacking a lot at the moment, So hopefully they can react with the front wing, maybe understand it again, study it again, reanalyse all the numbers.

“I’m not sure if they could do a tweak on the front wing to make it work to be honest I feel if we don’t bring something to Barcelona, to be in the points again will be very difficult. That’s how I feel right now. All I heard is all the teams we are competing against are all going to bring new things to Barcelona, which worries me a bit.”

Click here for a look at the radical Honda power unit design

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.