Sauber drivers Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr are looking to bounce back from a disappointing outing in Malaysia at next weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix by returning to the top ten.
Following a miserable 2014 campaign that went down as the worst in Sauber’s history, the team made an impressive start to the new season as both of its drivers scored points at the Australian Grand Prix.
However, Ericsson and Nasr came back down to earth with a bump in Malaysia as neither finished inside the top ten due to incidents during the race.
Ericsson had recorded his best qualifying in F1 to date, lining up ninth on the grid, but brought his race to an early end by spinning into the gravel when fighting for seventh place.
The Swede believes that the similarities between the tracks in Malaysia and China should aid Sauber as he bids to return to the points.
“The track in Shanghai is a circuit I know from last year, but it is not an easy one with a mixture of high-speed and low-speed corners,” Ericsson said. “Before some corners hard braking is required, so braking stability for the car is important. I believe the set-up of the car will be similar to the one we had in Malaysia, as the layout of the track has some related characteristics.
“The weather conditions will be different, as it is not as hot as in Sepang, which will also have an influence on the tire management.
“I have a good feeling traveling to China, because we have a competitive car. We are looking forward to getting to Shanghai to continue improving as well as scoring points again.”
Nasr also endured a difficult race in Malaysia, with an incident at the first corner dropping him back through the field. He eventually finished the race in 12th place.
Nevertheless, the Brazilian is looking forward to racing on a track that he has only practiced on before with Williams.
“Last year during the Chinese Grand Prix I had my first FP1 session with Williams,” Nasr said. “I have never raced on this circuit, but it is good that I have already got to know it.
“I believe this could be positive for us as we have a strong top speed. As the track has some low-speed corners, traction can be important as well. I am looking forward to a positive race weekend and to scoring points again.”
