Felipe Nasr believes that his charge to ninth place in the Brazilian Grand Prix two weeks ago will boost his chances of staying in Formula 1 for the 2017 season.
Nasr picked up Sauber’s first points of the year in Brazil to lift the team above Manor into 10th place in the constructors’ championship.
By finishing higher in the teams’ standings, Sauber is set to receive over $10 million extra in prize money than it would have had it finished last behind Manor.
Nasr is currently engaged in talks with Sauber about a seat for 2017, with his chief financial backer Banco do Brasil yet to confirm its plans for next year.
Although negotiations are dragging on, Nasr thinks that his result in Brazil will help his chances of getting a third season in F1 next year.
“I would expect that it does help for sure. If anything that a racing driver can do is to contribute to a team with points and I know how much these points are valuable,” Nasr said.
“Let’s put it this way, we know how much these points mean in terms of the championship the points and the restructuring the team will take for ’17, so it’s the best I could have given them.”
Nasr confirmed that his talks are centered on Sauber for 2017 despite there being two free seats at the rival Manor team.
“There are still negotiations going on. The talks are with Sauber mainly, that’s our priority right now,” Nasr said.
“As I said, I have a great relationship with the team. It’s been two great years. We saw the two sides of the coin. The first year I had in Formula 1, I was able to do so much, to achieve so much in a very first year.
“The second, we had such a difficult time, the car being uncompetitive, but it was nice that we were able to get those two points in Brazil.
“I’m sure that has given a boost to the team. These two points mean a lot for myself, for the team and hopefully we will know it soon.”
Sauber confirmed earlier this week that Nasr’s teammate, Marcus Ericsson, would be remaining with the team for 2017.
