Sauber F1 Team driver Marcus Ericsson believes with their 2016 challenger the team can take a step forward and finish regularly in the points during the 2016 Formula 1 season.
In his first season with the Swiss team, Ericsson finished the 2015 season in eighteenth with a total of nine points, only two behind the McLaren-Honda of Fernando Alonso, but the Swedish driver is hopeful of a stronger season in 2016.
“The battle for positions is getting fiercer,” said Ericsson. “But I’m convinced that, with the new car, we’re going to take a step forward so that we can finish in the points with greater consistency and under our own steam.
“Last year we managed a good start. In the second half of the season it was a harder struggle for us to score points. This season I’d like to see us being in contention for points and fighting on a level where speed is decisive. I know that everyone at the factory in Hinwil is working very hard in this direction.”
In his rookie season Felipe Nasr finished in thirteenth with a total of twenty-seven points, eighteen more than team-mate Ericsson. For Nasr he believes it is currently difficult to predict how the positions are going to pan out this season and where they will line up.
“It’s difficult for me to predict how the positions behind the top teams are going to pan out this season and where we’ll be able to line up in that part of the field,” said Nasr. “We’re going to put innovations on the grid, but so are our competitors, and their efficiency remains to be seen.
“It’s hardly possible to make any predictions under these circumstances. The whole team has been working very hard to explore areas in the car that we can improve. That’s why I’m confident that we’ve made progress. The season will show what positions we’ll be able to achieve with it.”
