Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn says she was “very impressed” by Felipe Nasr as he finished fifth in the Australian Grand Prix.
Nasr joined Sauber from Williams over the winter and made his grand prix debut in Melbourne, holding off Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull to score ten points for a team which failed to finish in the top ten at all in 2014. Praising the young Brazilian driver, Kaltenborn says Nasr’s performance surprised her because he didn’t make any mistakes as a rookie.
“I’m very impressed by his performance,” Kaltenborn said. “First of all for everyone it was a new situation, a new team, getting to know each other at the first race. For me the most impressive part was how he actually managed the race.
“You always have the fear with a rookie in certain situations because he actually lacks the experience - you can’t even blame him for that - and mistakes will be made.
“But he didn’t do that. He just managed it all so well, he remained so calm, so focused about it, very rational and that’s the most impressive part for me.”
With Sauber distracted by court proceedings involving Giedo van der Garde throughout the weekend, Kaltenborn also says the team should be praised for its ability to deliver in difficult circumstances.
“It’s been a rough weekend and what impressed me about the team particularly here is how they could stay focused, and the drivers as well because they are more exposed to the media. It’s not easy for them, but they had their heads in the right place and showed a great performance.”
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