Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsSauber

Sauber drivers boosted by trust from team

Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr have thanked Sauber for the trust in their abilities after signing new deals for 2016.

Both drivers joined the team at the start of this season, with Ericsson having had just one year of racing in F1 under his belt and Nasr a rookie. With Sauber committing to the same driver line-up early, Ericsson says his confidence is boosted by the faith the team has shown.

“I’m very happy that the Sauber F1 Team has put its trust in my potential for another year," Ericsson said. "Up to now I have some good memories of my first year with the long-standing Swiss team. I had a great start from the very beginning, and it is worth mentioning my first points in Formula One that I scored right away during the season-opener.

"I am getting to know everyone within the team more and more, and feel I am being appreciated as a valuable driver. I feel honoured to be part of the Sauber Motorsport family, and I will continue to do my very best to succeed.”

Team-mate Nasr says he has been learning a lot in his debut F1 season and is looking forward to being able to guide the direction of a new car.

“It is great to be driving another season for the Sauber F1 Team," Nasr said. "The extension to the contract with the Sauber F1 Team is an important step in my career. During the first half of the season, in what is my rookie year, I was able to gain a lot of experience from a driving perspective as well as on the personal side.

"Finishing fifth at my first ever Formula One race in Melbourne in the Australian Grand Prix is so far my career highlight. Now I am looking forward to the second half of the season. My objective is to support the team as best I can, and also with regard to the development of the new car.”

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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.