Felipe Nasr thinks warmer temperatures during this weekends’ Bahrain Grand Prix will make a Sauber double points finish repeat difficult, although the Swiss outfit is bringing some upgrades at Sakhir.
Both Ferrari-powered C34s managed to score points last Sunday in China, with Nasr claiming eighth and team-mate Marcus Ericsson securing tenth around Shanghai International Circuit.
This was the Hinwill-based squad's second double points finish this year after its Brazilian rookie and Swedish sophomore had already troubled the top-ten in Melbourne’s season opener.
Following a dismal 2014 campaign where it failed to score any points, Sauber seems to have turned things around and currently sits fourth in the Constructors’ championship, one spot ahead of four-time world champions Red Bull.
However, Nasr believes Bahrain’s desert climate will make life difficult for his car and tyre management at Sakhir, although the GP2 graduate hopes qualifying and racing at night will help offset the issue.
“As I saw in China already, we suffer a bit from the hot conditions at the beginning of the race and it is clear that our car struggles a bit more than our competitors when we have a bit warmer conditions,” said Nasr.
“It was quite clear to see in Shanghai that we struggled at the beginning, but as the race went on, the conditions seemed to be cooler again. At the end of the race we had our best pace, so it is clear what we have.
“If you look at the start of the race (in Bahrain), it can still be quite hot there, the tarmac temperature, but it can go to our favour in the race having cooler temperatures. I am sure it can extend tyre life for us and the behaviour of the car becomes much better.”
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