Yeongam 2012 - GP Preview - Sauber Ferrari

After a breathtaking Japanese Grand Prix with Kamui Kobayashi clinching his first podium in Formula One, the Sauber F1 Team wants to build on the momentum as it heads to South Korea for round 16 of the FIA Formula One World Championship on 14th October. With 116 points to its tally, the Sauber F1 Team has made up ground in its fight for fifth place in the constructors’ championship and lies just 20 points behind.

Kamui Kobayashi: “Last year Korea was an extremely difficult race, because we were significantly too slow. But this is the past and things are looking much better now. We can build on the momentum we have and, therefore, I’m confident this time we can score points. We have to expect the track to have a low grip level, especially in the beginning, but this will change during the weekend. Once the track is rubbered in some high-speed sections combined with slower corners are fun to drive. I think our car should be competitive on this track.”

Sergio Pérez: “The track layout in Yeongam is quite challenging. There are some high-speed corners and in general the circuit has quite a variety of corners. Therefore it is not easy to find a good rhythm but this is crucial for a good lap time. In Suzuka our car had a very good pace and I hope we can keep the momentum for the next round in South Korea. However, because we are usually lacking a bit of straight-line speed, it won’t be an easy Grand Prix for us. I will give my very best and I definitely want to make the most out of the remaining races I compete in for the Sauber F1 Team.”

Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering: “The Yeongam circuit is a modern race track which has a bit of everything. The first sector has three straights with two sharp corners in between and also a low-speed section with tight corners at the end. Then the second sector features medium to high-speed corners before going back into a twisty sector three. The tarmac is not abrasive and the allocated Pirelli tyre compounds are soft and super soft, which I think should fit. However, the grip build up is rather slow during this race weekend because there are almost no support races on the programme. With regard to our possibilities, overall it should be an average circuit for us with the first section being the difficult one. The C31 will obviously be running with the new components we introduced in Suzuka but, given it is a back-to-back event, won’t have any further updates.”