The Sauber F1 Team endured another tough race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Sunday, with Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr finishing well outside the points down in fifteenth and eighteenth respectively.
Ericsson managed to move up a few places from his back row starting position, moving ahead of both Manor Racing drivers and his team-mate to claim fifteenth, with the Swede feeling he had a good race from start to finish.
“For me it was a good race from the start to the finish,” said Ericsson. “I think the first stint on ultrasoft tyres was not ideal, as I struggled a lot with the grip. Our initial plan was a one-stop strategy, but we then had to revert to a two stopper.
“Once we got onto the soft tyres for the next two stints of the race, I had a good run and was able to pass Kevin (Magnussen) and Pascal (Wehrlein). Overall a good effort, as we also came close to Haas.”
Team-mate Nasr survived a first lap clash with Kevin Magnussen’s Renault at turn three, and was always trying to recover the ground he lost thereafter, eventually finishing down in eighteenth.
“It was a disappointing race for me,” revealed Nasr. “My race start was ok, but then suddenly in Turn 3 I was hit from behind. It was very unfortunate and an unnecessary move. This compromised my race from there on.
“I tried my best to recover, and in the end I was able to put in decent lap times on the soft tyres. That’s how racing goes sometimes, but now I look forward to Baku. I am always up for new challenges.”
