Leclerc and Ericsson seek progress and points at Spa

Sauber drivers Marcus Ericsson and Charles Leclerc say that the team must make better progress in the second half of the season following the summer shutdown.

"It is great to kick-off the second half of the season at one of the best tracks on the calendar," said Ericsson, referring to the iconic Spa circuit which hosts this week's Belgian Grand Prix.

"It is uniquely challenging and always a great circuit to drive on. We have the opportunity to build on a strong first half of the season."

The team is currently in ninth place in the constructors standings - an improvement on 2017, but not where they feel they should be given the strength of this year's customer Ferrari power unit.

“We know it’s working," Ericsson said of the latest engine upgrades introduced at the last race. "We tried it in Hungary, [it] was working fine - [it] means we can use it to the fullest at Spa and Monza."

These are two of the most power-intensive circuits on the current calendar, and a major challenge to the performance and reliability of any engine.

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“For sure these two tracks will be good for us," opined the Swede. "[Spa] should suit us quite well. The unpredictable weather conditions could add an extra twist and make it even more exciting to race there."

Sauber had been close to overhauling Toro Rosso in the championship. However a DNF for Leclerc and 15th place for Ericsson at the Hungaroring was a setback, especially with Pierre Gasly finishing well into the points to open up a ten point gap in the standings between the teams.

"Our target needs to be to score points both weekends, especially after what Toro Rosso did in Hungary," Ericsson admitted. "We need to score points in both races with both cars, that’s the aim."

This weekend will be the first time Charles Leclerc has raced at Spa in a Formula 1 car. Last year he was on pole position for the Formula 2 race only to be disqualified from the race due to a technical infringement.

That doesn't spoil the prospect of racing at one of the sport's most famous circuits, however.

"The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is a very special one," he said. "The lap is very long, and it has all different kinds of corners, which makes it interesting to drive on. I look forward to being back in the car there."

"Although it was nice to have some time off and review the first half of the season, it is good to return to racing," he admitted.

"The most important thing will be to get back in the rhythm as quickly as possible, and as a team, to regroup and focus on our target, which is to continue making progress as we did during the first half of the season."

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