Solid German GP drive will hopefully help Ericsson's cause

Marcus Ericsson could be a man on the move, but towards the exit at Sauber, which is why his solid drive into the points in Sunday's German Grand Prix is a welcome result.

Ericsson, now in his fifth year of Formula 1 - his fourth with Sauber, has so far failed to shed his status as a mere journeyman in Grand Prix racing.

The weak offerings from his team did not help the Swede's cause in 2016 and 2017, but the revitalized Swiss outfit has pulled itself up the ranks this season, thanks to the efficiency of its C37 chassis and its current-spec Ferrari engine.

• F1i's Driver Ratings for the German Grand Prix

The mercurial Charles Leclerc has put 13 points on Sauber's board compared to Ericsson's five points achieved in three races. Marcus has been outdone by his rookie team mate so far, but in Germany he was the one who outperformed.

"It is very satisfying to be back in the points," he said Sunday evening.

"It was a difficult race, especially in terms of managing the tyres. We had a long first stint on soft tyres. After the rain started, together with the team, we decided to keep calm and stay out.

"It was a big challenge not to make any mistakes because the track was very slippery and demanding but I was able to manage the hectic situation.

"At the end of the race, there was a lot of pitting among the teams, and there were some good fights for the points," he added.

"All in all, it was a fun race to drive, and it is very satisfying to finish it in P9. It is great for the team, a great boost for all of us, and we go to Budapest feeling positive."

The 27-year-old will fight to keep his seat at Hinwil, but that will entail performing at every outing in the upcoming races, and improving his form in qualifying, a chronic weak point for the Swede.

"It’s important every time you’re out on track, you need to show what you can do. Especially these times when you drive for your future," he admits.

"There’s a lot of talks about next year already and I need to prove that I should be in F1 for next year.

"Days like Sunday obviously help my case. Saturday was not too bad but could have been better.

"I need to keep doing strong races like this because I feel on race day I’m really, really strong and can race as good as anyone out there.

"But I still need to find something on Saturdays, so that’s my big target at the moment, to find performance there."

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