Sauber drivers agree crash cannot be repeated

©WRi2

Sauber has discussed the Monaco Grand Prix collision with Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr, with the drivers accepting there must be no repeat.

Nasr was asked by Sauber to move over for his team-mate during the Monaco Grand Prix, but declined to do so over a number of laps. Ericsson was aware Nasr had been asked to yield but eventually attempted to pass at Rascasse, leading to a collision which eventually saw both cars retire.

"We have analysed what happened; we have discussed it with Marcus and Felipe, and we all agree that this must never happen again," the team said in a message to fans on its website. "Everyone at the factory in Hinwil, as well as the drivers, now focus on the next race in Montreal. We’re all looking forward to racing soon again, as a team."

With Sauber reiterating that the collision was "unacceptable", the team also explained the rationale behind the call for the drivers to switch positions.

"Many of you argue that team orders aren’t good for the sport and that we should just let our drivers race freely. We agree, but while this is true most of the time and it is what we do as much as possible, it is imperative to always look at the bigger picture and ask: ‘What is better for the team?’

"Some of you have said that you don’t understand why we even bothered to give a team order running in positions 15 and 16. Well, with every position gained, we are that much closer to points. And even without scoring any points, any higher position in a race can potentially mean keeping the position in the Constructors’ Championship (or, vice versa, a drop in positions).

"We are all racers. But the team’s overall interest will always be more important than that of any individual."

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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.