Sauber gets 21 points in four races: only Renault was better

28/11/2018
Michael Schmidt

Sauber defended the 8th place of the constructors' championship. And missed the 7th rank only by 5 points. During the last push of the season, only the best Renault have been qualified among the midfield teams. The French factory driver has scored 30 points in the last four races, Sauber 21, HaasF1 and Force India 9 each.

If the final push of the Swiss had started a little earlier, even Force India or even McLaren would have been in distress. "We have had a HaasF1 many times too often at the last races," said one of the team members. Marcus Ericsson finished his last run for Sauber with the words: "We can all be proud of what we have accomplished."

In total, the last of the previous year scored 16 times. Charles Leclerc finished seventh in three consecutive races. In Abu Dhabi, Sauber would have been even more possible, says team manager Beat Zehnder. Once, because Ericsson did not see the checkered flag: "Marcus would have landed safely in the points."

The refueling of the Swedes, ranked 8th at the time of the fall, was to take place on lap 34. It was ten laps earlier. A crack in the exhaust caused a rise in ambient temperature as sensors and cables were burned. The electrical system is out.

Leclerc had to overtake two cars

Whether it is Charles Leclerc who has been correctly informed during the pit stop during the VSC phase, the specialists are fighting over each other. In principle, the early stop was right. The winner Lewis Hamilton has demonstrated it. But Leclerc had to double the cars of Lance Stroll and Kevin Magnussen just after the pit stop. The aggressive approach at the beginning of the life of the tires had adverse consequences. The temperature of the front tires has risen beyond the endurable limit.

Photo: Wilhelm

Leclerc had to drive slowly to put the tires back to the window. That's why he stayed so long behind Fernando Alonso. If the future Ferrari driver had had a free lap after the pit stop, if his speed had been sufficient to maintain the gap with Carlos Sainz within 21 seconds, Zehnder is convinced. The Spaniard did not come until the 37th lap. With 23.5 seconds of air. "Renault was not faster than us," insists Zehnder.

With the 8th place the requests increase

The risk of getting rid of his Hypersoft tires in the first safety car ride was too big for Sauber. You did not expect Supersoft coatings to race at their own pace. He was also tight against Sergio Perez in the last few rounds. The Mexican had nine cooler tire turns. Leclerc also showed his class defending his position. Perez was a half-second faster lap but did not pass Sauber for six laps.

For Sauber, the season is over on another strong point. The team director, Vasseur, recalled the climb from below and the steady steps forward. No team has improved as much as Sauber from first to last race. But now the demands are increasing too. "Goals have increased, motivation is strong in all departments." The next stage is 8th place, followed by Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi 2019. And he is already determined to settle in the middle of the field.