After a very positive first qualifying session in which Kamui Kobayashi set the fastest lap overall and Sergio Pérez was fifth, the second part of qualifying turned out to be disappointing for the Sauber F1 Team. Kobayashi struggled from a lack of grip and some traffic and could not repeat the lap time he did in Q1. The Japanese qualified 13th for the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. For Pérez Q2 was even worse as he could not do a flying lap because of a gearbox problem. The Mexican finished last in Q2, which means he qualified 17th overall.
Kamui Kobayashi: This is obviously disappointing. In Q1 I was really happy with the car and the grip and, of course, it felt great to have set the fastest lap. But then on my second run in Q2 with another new set of soft tyres I just could not find grip. I have no explanation for that, it felt totally different. I also had traffic in the last sector, but the main surprise was the lack of grip. Thirteenth is not really a nice position to start from and it doesnt reflect the potential of the car. However, we will try to achieve the best possible result tomorrow.
Sergio Pérez: We made some set-up changes to the car today and in Q1 I was busy adapting my driving style a bit. In Q2 I knew exactly what to do but then I could not shift anymore because of a gearbox problem. It is a true shame as there was a lot more to come from the car and from myself. Starting from 17th will make it very difficult to get a good result on Sunday. I will do my best.
Peter Sauber, Team Principal: After a very promising start to qualifying, the result is obviously a big disappointment. Kamui was quickest in Q1 with a time that would have been seventh best in Q2. Unfortunately things didnt work out for him in Q2 and he was out. Sergio suffered a gearbox failure and didnt have the chance to set a time in the second qualifying session. The positive thing is we confirmed that our car is fast, which gives us hope for the race, although overtaking is not easy here.
Giampaolo DallAra, Head of Track Engineering: P13 and P17 definitely dont reflect our true potential, but things just went wrong in qualifying. It was bad luck that both our drivers were on their first runs when Fernando Alonso spun. In the second outing Kamui got held up by Mark Webber, who made a mistake in corner one in front of Kamui when he was on his out lap and was then not able to heat up his tyres properly. Sergio suffered a gearbox failure which we need to analyse. We will now do our utmost to fight back in the race.
Australia 2012 Saturday quotes: Sauber
- Published on 17 Mar 2012 11:50
-
0
- By: Rob Veenstra
.
Trending news
-
What Verstappen really said about his Red Bull futureMax Verstappen has acknowledged his Red Bull contract extension through 2030 comes with a sobering reality: the next ...
28 Aug 2026 16:54 -
Racing Bulls join the macarena wing race with Imola testRacing Bulls are testing their own variant of the rotating rear wing design at Imola during a filmday on Tuesday, acc...
28 Aug 2026 15:51 -
Nico Rosberg issues stark warning to former team MercedesNico Rosberg has warned Mercedes that McLaren has become Formula 1's team to beat, delivering a stark assessment ...
28 Aug 2026 14:50 -
Why Alonso credited himself after Zandvoort chargeFernando Alonso delivered a blunt self-assessment after driving from 18th on the grid to ninth at the Dutch Grand Pri...
28 Aug 2026 13:48 -
Why Max Verstappen's 2030 Red Bull contract might not be finalMax Verstappen's new Red Bull contract through 2030 may not be the career-defining commitment it appears, accordi...
28 Aug 2026 12:47
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
Test calendar
Circuit de Catalunya - Winter testing
-
Jan 26
I. Hadjar
- 1:18.159
-
-
-
Jan 27
M. Verstappen
- 1:19.578
-
-
-
Jan 28
A. Antonelli
- 1:17.362
-
-
-
Jan 29
G. Russell
- 1:16.445
-
-
-
Jan 30
L. Hamilton
- 1:16.348
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 11
L. Norris
- 1:34.669
-
-
-
Feb 12
C. Leclerc
- 1:34.273
-
-
-
Feb 13
A. Antonelli
- 1:33.669
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 18
G. Russell
- 1:33.459
-
-
Feb 19
A. Antonelli
- 1:32.803
-
-
Feb 20
C. Leclerc
- 1:31.992
-
-
World Championship standings 2026
Pos
Driver
Team
Points
Pos
Team
Points
Related news
Give your opinion!
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
-
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
26 - Jun 28
Austria
Red Bull Ring
3 - Jul 5
United Kingdom
Silverstone
17 - Jul 19
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
24 - Jul 26
Hungary
Hungaroring
21 - Aug 23
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
Driver profile
- Team Aston Martin
- Points 631
- Podiums 9
- Grand Prix 204
- Country ES
- Date of b. Jul 29 1981 (45)
- Place of b. Oviedo, ES
- Weight 68 kg
- Length 1.71 m
- 188,111 comments on Aston Martin
78 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Fernando Alonso
Team profile
- Team name Sauber
- Base - Switzerland
- Gabriel Bortoleto
- Kimi Räikkönen 7
- Felipe Massa 8
- Marcus Ericsson 9
- Nico Hülkenberg 11
- Felipe Nasr 12
- Esteban Gutierrez 12
- Felipe Massa 12
- Felipe Massa 12
- Kamui Kobayashi 14
- Sergio Perez 15
- Charles Leclerc 16
- Kamui Kobayashi 16
- Sergio Perez 17
- Kimi Räikkönen 17
- Esteban Gutierrez 21
- Kamui Kobayashi 23
- Guanyu Zhou 24
- Nico Hülkenberg 27
- Antonio Giovinazzi 36
- Valtteri Bottas 77
- Pascal Wehrlein 94
- Adrian Sutil 99
- 115,816 comments on Sauber
- 5 members have this team as their favourite
- Tweets about Sauber
Replies (0)
Login to reply