Marcus Ericsson says Sauber needs to take more risks as well as increase its budget in order to move up the F1 grid.

Sauber has been facing financial difficulties over the past couple of years which coincided with poor on-track performance as the team failed to score a point in 2014. While last season saw a recovery of sorts, Ericsson said Sauber was not content with its eighth-place finish in the constructors' championship.

Looking to move further up the grid this coming season, Ericsson believes it is not just financial restrictions which have been holding the team back.

“I think it’s a combination of getting a bigger budget - more money to spend and put on updates which would be good - but also I think the concept we’ve had the last couple of years at Sauber has been a bit sort of static whereas other teams have developed in different ways," Ericsson told F1i.

"That’s what we’re trying to do, to follow a bit more what other teams have been doing in recent years and I think that’s important to not stay in a concept too long.

"Especially in Formula One you need to always find new ways and take risks in a way as well. Not stupid ones, but you need to try new things and that’s what we’re going to do.”

1982 French GP: A French touch of clash...

Key dates for the 2016 F1 season

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

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

Mekies: ‘We all agree’ F1 must bring back flat-out qualifying

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has made it clear: Formula 1 must rediscover the…

10 hours ago

‘Rusty, me?’: Perez fires back at Andretti’s Cadillac claim

Sergio Perez isn’t taking lightly the suggestion that his return to Formula 1 with Cadillac…

12 hours ago

Formula 1’s heartfelt gift to new dad Fernando Alonso

While Aston Martin’s F1 car is currently giving Fernando Alonso some massive engine vibrations and…

13 hours ago

Hill says unhappy Verstappen ‘should stop and do something else’

For a driver who has spent years bending F1 to his will, Max Verstappen suddenly…

14 hours ago

‘He’s up against it’: Brundle fears Sainz facing career dead end in F1

For Carlos Sainz, what was meant to be a strong second season at Williams is…

16 hours ago

Alonso’s brutal verdict: ‘High-speed corners now charging stations’

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso has delivered another withering verdict on Formula 1’s 2026 regulations…

17 hours ago