Nasr on tough F1 opener: Plenty of work ahead of us

Felipe Nasr confesses Sauber has its work cut out after struggling for pace throughout the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

The Swiss team arrived in Melbourne on the back foot, having lost its technical director Mark Smith on the eve of the new season. Sauber had previously had to postpone the introduction of the 2016-spec C35 while financial difficulties meant payments of the staff’s February wages had been delayed.

Both Nasr and team-mate Marcus Ericsson dropped out of qualifying in Q1 and never were really in contention to repeat their double points finish from last year.

“Overall it was a difficult race for us,” said Nasr, who crossed the line in 15th position. “We struggled with our pace compared to our competitors. It was clear during the race that I could not keep up with the cars in front of me.

“It was good that we could gain important data from the C35, and we need to analyse every detail to find performance in the car. We have to improve the C35 in different areas. I think we have a lot of work ahead of us.”

Despite out-qualifying Nasr, Ericsson suffered a more challenging race around the Albert Park as he picked up a drive through penalty during the red flag before having to retire his car due to vibrations on the rear left tyre.

“It was not a good day,” the Swede commented. “When the race was interrupted, I had an issue with one tyre warmer on the pit lane. It could not be removed as quickly as usual, so I got a drive through penalty for that.

“After the race resumed, I felt that something was wrong with the left rear tyre, so I went back to the garage. Sometimes these things can happen. We will look into it to be in a better shape for the next race weekend in Bahrain.”

REPORT: Rosberg beats Hamilton after huge Alonso crash

AS IT HAPPENED: 2016 Australian Grand Prix 

2016 F1 season: Team-by-team preview

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