More pace needed for Sauber to fight for points - Ericsson

Last year in Austin, Sauber celebrated its 400th Grand Prix and Felipe Nasr commemorated the impressive milestone by scoring a top ten finish and two championship points.

Sauber will be hard-pressed to repeat the feat this year however, its weak relative performance keeping it, and its drivers, at a fair distance from the top ten

While the Swiss outfit's C35 chassis appears to be improving with the team's latets upgrades, its drivers are still struggling with its balance, according to Marcus Ericsson.

"We had a few updates on the floor and it’s been an improvement but we’ve been struggling a bit more with the car's balance," said the Swede.

"Looking back to the previous race weekends, we clearly made steps in the right direction, but we still need to find more pace in order to fight for points."

Like his colleagues, Ericsson is hoping for better weather this year around the Circuit of the Americas venue than the dismal conditions which greeted the F1 community in 2016.

With Mexico directly following Austin, the two-race schedule will also be the last back-to-back weekend this season.

"I believe we all remember the rather unusual United States Grand Prix due to the heavy rain in 2015.

"I am looking forward to going back this year, as I like this track a lot. It is a nice event at the circuit, and, as well as that, Austin is a great place to be.

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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.