Friday: A problem-free testing day for Sauber drivers
Nico Hülkenberg had a good Friday in Suzuka, the German driver didn't encounter any problems and was able to complete the planned program. His teammate, Esteban Gutiérrez, focused on learning the track this morning before starting the setup work on his Sauber this afternoon.
Nico Hülkenberg – 12th and 13th:
« It was a quiet Friday. The weather was good, and it didn’t rain as expected. Everything went as planned and we were able to carry out the scheduled program. We tested different settings and compared several rear wings, now we need to study the data and determine which one is the best. Otherwise, it was as usual with understanding the two types of tires, with the soft ones seeming better on long stints. Tomorrow, Q3 will be the goal. It’s a challenge and the field seems tight, but considering how things went today, I think we can still improve. »
Esteban Gutiérrez – 18th and 11th:
« It was an interesting day. It’s a challenge to learn this layout, but it offered me everything I expected. It’s a special circuit, with beautiful fast corners, and I love driving here. This morning, I focused on learning the track. It’s a complicated circuit to learn and to find the right trajectory. In turns 8 and 9 in particular, there’s no room for error because otherwise you’re in the wall. This afternoon, it was much better. We worked on our settings and everything went well. We still have work to do, but I was able to get a good idea and I will do everything to turn this into a good result tomorrow. »
