Sauber's Kaltenborn: no Ferrari engine upgrade this year

Sauber's Monisha Kaltenborn says the Swiss outfit will run the whole year with its current spec Ferrari engine, discarding any upgrade prospect.

Sauber is running a year-old power unit supplied by Maranello, a deliberate decision centered around financial constraints and the desire to benefit from a reliable and proven unit.

But the power deficit of the older engine compared to its 2017 version is clear, leading some to suggest that the Hinwill-base outfit could upgrade at some point this year.

Kaltenborn however says that won't happen, but she also believes it's a bit early to judge the unit's relative performance.

"No. That we knew," she said.

"I think it's far too early to say because Australia is definitely not a representative track. We need to wait a couple of races, and then we'll see how big it [the gap] really is," she added.

Kaltenborn conceded that Sauber's entry into the new season hasn't lived up to the team's expectations although progress is in the works.

"We hoped we were a bit better, because we've been following some new concepts," she explained.

"Of course others started earlier, they have understood after the tests where they need to do a few changes. But otherwise I think the basis is there.

"We need to develop that now, and we have a development plan in place. We have bits and pieces coming here, and then we have an intense testing programme in Bahrain.

"We are planning a bigger package in Barcelona and then we'll take it from there."

GALLERY: F1 drivers' wives and girlfriends

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