After Pascal Wehrlein delivered four precious points to Sauber in Barcelona, team boss Monisha Kaltenborn reminded pundits that she never doubted the German drivers' commitment.
Sidelined by an injury sustained earlier in the year at the Race of Champions, Wehrlein started his season in Bahrain.
Yesterday, in his third race for the Swiss outfit , the German came home eighth, a performance produced by an impeccable drive coupled with a bold one-stop strategy.
"We knew Pascal is very talented, which is why we signed him," boss Monisha Kaltenborn said.
"I have said already that the criticism of him was completely unfair and unprofessional at times, so I wonder what the critics will have to say today," she added.
The result will obviously add monies to Sauber's Swiss coffers but inflicts collateral damage on McLaren-Honda as it now finds itself dead last in the constructors' standings, adding insult to injury for F1's second most successful team.
"We do not underestimate a strong opponent like McLaren, which is a large and experienced team," said a guarded Kaltenborn.
"They have a lot more resources and people than us, so we take this into account and will continue to work hard all season," she added.
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