Sauber was left disappointed following the Monaco GP weekend, an event they were previously hoping to take some points away from. Although Sauber possesses one of the weaker cars in the field, they were hoping the difficulties of Monaco would play into their hands.
Instead, the difficulties forced their way into the team itself. Drivers Pascal Wehrlein and Marcus Ericsson were off the pace all weekend and eventually, both retired from the race. Wehrlein was launched onto his side by Jenson Button while Marcus Ericsson crashed under the safety car.
"A very disappointing weekend," team principal Monisha Kaltenborn said. "Since the practice sessions, we had difficulties getting the tyres to work and were not able to technically resolve the issues. If the pace is not there, no strategy can help.”
There are some worries about Pascal Wehrlein following his race-ending incident. While he was able to walk away from the car, Wehrlein suffered neck and back injuries at the start of the year, and there are suspicions that this crash could have aggravated the injury.
If it has, Wehrlein will miss out on the Canadian Grand Prix in two weeks time, after already being absent from the opening two rounds of the season. However, Kaltenborn says that it is nothing serious: “Nevertheless, we are glad that nothing serious happened to Pascal."
Sauber still sits ninth in the standings as McLaren are yet to score points. McLaren themselves had the opportunity through Stoffel Vandoorne, who crashed out after the safety car restart. The Belgian was in tenth position at the time and in a place to score the team's first point of the season.
Fergal Walsh
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Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
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