Race - Belgian GP report: Sauber Ferrari

For the Sauber F1 Team it was a disappointing start to the second half of the season. Felipe Nasr finished the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps in P17. Nasr had a good start and was temporarily running in P11, but the Brazilian had to pit on the first lap due to a rear left tyre puncture. Also the floor, as well as the diffusor, on his Sauber C35-Ferrari was damaged, which compromised his lap times. Marcus Ericsson had to start the race from the pit lane due to adjustments to the cooling system. He had to retire after lap two because of gearbox issues. Next weekend, the Italian Grand Prix will take place in Monza.

Marcus Ericsson

“It was a tough day. When I went out to the starting grid we identified issues with the cooling system, so we had to make some adjustments. This meant that I had to start the race from the pit lane. It was a good first lap, I was able to catch the group ahead, but then suddenly I lost sixth gear on lap three. That was the end of my race; I had to retire. It has been a weekend with many issues, but I am sure we will be stronger soon.”

Felipe Nasr

“A disappointing race. I had a good start and was able to make up some positions running temporarily in P11. Because of a lot of debris on track, I got a rear left tyre puncture, which was very unfortunate. I had to pit early, which compromised the whole race. The floor ,as well as the diffusor, was also damaged by the debris. That surely had an influence on the lap times. Now we need to shift our focus onto the upcoming race weekend in Monza.”

Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal

“A disappointing result, after we could see in the practice sessions that the aerodynamic characteristics of the car had generally improved. This weekend was compromised by several incidents with the power unit. Also the race was influenced by factors which did not lie in our hands – the gearbox issues on Marcus’ car, as well as the debris which caused a puncture and damages to Felipe’s car. Nevertheless, Felipe put in a good performance driving-wise as well as with regards to the tyre management.”