Sauber gets a full stable of Ferrari horsepower

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A cooling update on Sauber's C36 will enable its drivers to run in qualifying with the full might of its old-spec Ferrari engine for the first time this season.

The Swiss outfit had been forced to tune down its already outdated power unit because of persistent cooling issues.

The team's most recent upgrade package has cured the problem and delivered hope of improvement, according to Marcus Ericsson.

"The big thing is the cooling system," Ericsson told Motorsport.com.

"You don't feel [the difference] but the engine guys could see the engine was running in much healthier temperatures.

"[It was] maybe not so much today but for qualifying and the race, we can turn up the engine a lot more.

"Hopefully we can extract more performance from that, which is something which has been hurting us quite a lot this season.

Sauber extends partnership with Ferrari for 2018

"The engine has been running quite high and we have to go down on engine settings. We already have the old power unit so you don't want to turn the unit down.

"The way I understand, we can turn it up maximum tomorrow for qualifying, something which we haven't been able to do this year."

Despite Sauber's upgrade and the extra boost of power, Ericsson believes it could still be challenging to move up the grid on Saturday afternoon.

"I definitely felt the car, straight away in FP1, was a step forward. There was a bit more grip in general, compared to what I'm used to. The update was working.

"If we can tune the car better to get the tyres better over a whole lap, we should be able to mix it up with guys ahead of us.

"Will it be enough for Q2? I don't know. It might not be possible. I was feeling quite confident in the car today so we could maybe do it."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.