Felipe Nasr could not keep up with his competitors with his Sauber

Sauber was the only team not to have its 2016 car during the first week of winter testing, and it shows on the track. Indeed, Felipe Nasr believes he simply couldn’t keep up with his main competitors during the race: “Overall, it was a difficult race. We struggled with our pace compared to our competitors. It was clear during the race that I couldn’t keep up with the cars in front of me.”

The only satisfaction for the Brazilian is that he managed to finish the race, albeit a lap behind Nico Rosberg, which will allow engineers to gather valuable data as the uphill climb will not be easy: « It was a good thing that we managed to obtain important information for the C35. We need to analyze every detail to find performance in the car. We need to improve the C35 in different areas. I think we have a lot of work ahead of us. »

For Marcus Ericsson, the end of the weekend was even more complicated as he had to retire after receiving a penalty during the race: « It was not a good day. When the race was halted, I had an issue with a warmer tire in the pit lane. It couldn’t be removed as quickly as usual, and I got a penalty because of that. »

Shortly after, his left rear forced him to return to the pits: « After the race resumed, I felt something abnormal on the left rear tire. So I returned to the pits. »

If they even want to fight against Manor, the small Swiss team will need to find solutions very quickly.