Sauber is hoping to score more points during next weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix as the Swiss outfit looks to turn its back on a frustrating race in Malaysia.
Both Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson had a strong season-opening round in Melbourne, with the pair picking up their maiden championships points by finishing fifth and eighth respectively.
Ferrari-powered Sauber also looked on pace around the Sepang International Circuit last weekend and team principal Monisha Kaltenborn believes her squad would have increased its points tally if Nasr and Ericsson had not run into trouble.
The Brazilian rookie clipped Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari and damaged his front wing on the opening lap while his Swedish team-mate spun out of the race on lap three after trying to wrest P8 from Nico Hulkenberg.
Despite leaving Sepang without any points, Sauber still sits fourth in the Constructors’ standings ahead of Toro Rosso, Red Bull, and Force India. Although Nasr and Ericsson acknowledge Shanghai International Circuit is a demanding track, both feel they can keep the momentum going by breaking into the top-10 once again.
“The track in Shanghai is a circuit I know from last year, but it is not an easy one with a mixture of high-speed and low-speed corners,” said the 24-year-old Swede. “Before some corners hard braking is required, so braking stability for the car is important.
“I have a good feeling traveling to China, because we have a competitive car. We are looking forward to getting to Shanghai to continue improving as well as scoring points again. I am confident it is going to be a positive weekend for us.”
“The track has a combination of high-speed and low-speed corners, which is quite demanding for the tyres and challenging to find a good balance for the car,” added his Brazilian team-mate, who had made his grand prix weekend debut in China 12 months ago when driving for Williams in FP1.
“Besides that, the circuit has a straight which is the longest on the whole race calendar. I believe this could be positive for us as we have a strong top speed. As the track has some low-speed corners, traction can be important as well. I am looking forward to a positive race weekend and to scoring points again.”
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