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There's a mixed reception awaiting the Sauber drivers today as there's disappointment on one side of the garage and delight on the other after the season-opening race of the 2017 Formula 1 season.
Marcus Ericsson will be hoping to forget his day, as it started off badly from the get go. The Swede was spun by Kevin Magnussen at turn 3 on lap one and he never really recovered from the crash despite escaping the gravel trap, retiring on lap 24.
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"A very disappointing race for me. I did not have a good start, but then I was fighting hard in the first couple of corners on lap one. Unfortunately, in turn 3 I got hit from behind, which caused lots of damage on the right side as well as to the floor of the car.
"From that moment on, it was all about finishing the race. Later on, I had to stop the car on track due to a hydraulic failure caused by the incident on lap one."
Meanwhile, Antonio Giovinazzi, who was brought in only yesterday to replace Pascal Wehrlein who was unwell to race, finished the Grand Prix in P12. The result was extra special seeing as the Italian only completed half a race distance around the circuit before starting the Grand Prix.
"It was a good race, and I am happy with my performance today. My objective was to gain more experience and collect mileage in the car. I will sit together with my engineers to analyse areas where I can improve. I want to thank the Sauber F1 Team and Scuderia Ferrari again for this opportunity. It was an amazing race weekend for me."
Team Principal at Sauber Monisha Kaltenborn also praised the result of Giovinazzi: "A very impressive performance from Antonio during his first Formula One race. He showed his potential as well as what the car is capable of. The lap times were quite satisfying."
However, she remains dumbfounded on why the stewards took no action against Kevin Magnussen, who hit into the side of Ericsson, sending him into the gravel.
"Marcus’ race was ruined after the start in turn 3. The situation there was clear-cut, so it is incomprehensible why the stewards didn’t react to the incident."
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Replies (2)
Login to replycalle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Very strong first day for Gio, I must say.
f1fan0101
Posts: 1,804
Congrats to Gio, not an easy thing he did this weekend