Nasr banking on luck to score points for Sauber

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While luck is not a strategy, it appears it is Sauber's only hope of scoring points in the remainder of 2016, according to Felipe Nasr.

The Hinwill-based outfit is the only team on the grid which has not finished a single race in the top ten this season, presenting therefore a desolate zero-point tally.

Sauber only has five races left to try and improve its state of affairs or risk enduring its second point-less campaign in three years.

Nasr believes the Swiss outfit will be hard-pressed to accomplish such a feat on its merit, and is now forced to rely on luck or exceptional circumstances to end its drought.

"We have some minor updates coming into Japan so let's reassess where we're going to be," said the Brazilian.

"We just need a bit of luck, we need the safety car playing in our hands. At the moment, external facts have to come together and then we might get a point that way.

"But purely on pace, myself or Marcus [Ericsson], we don't have the pace to be in the points."

Last weekend's Malaysia Grand Prix brought Nasr another retirement when his car was hit by a terminal brake-by-wire failure. But both Saubers were slow off the line again in Sepang prompting the team to investigate potential clutch issues.

"I had an awful start off the line," Nasr told Autosport.

"We got the bite on the formation lap, it was good. We went to the start, I just dropped massively going into Turn 1.

"They are looking at the clutch, as Marcus had a similar thing as well. If you look at the footage, we had quite a good jump and then we stay [there], we don't drive off the next 100 metres, it's just really poor."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.