Sauber F1 Team Boss Monisha Kaltenborn believes that driver Marcus Ericsson has the talent to win a F1 race at some stage of his career.
So far, the Swede has only managed a best result of eighth place during his time in F1, and that was back at the start of 2015. The 26-year-old never really shone in the lower formulas either, with a best finish of sixth overall in the GP2 Series in 2013, after four years at that level.
Kaltenborn believes however that he has what it takes to star in F1, as she explained to Autosport.com recently.
“You have to have that determination, have that opportunity and be at the right time at the right place and I don’t see why he can’t do that.”
Ericsson scored no points during the 2016 season, but although team-mate Felipe Nasr did bag two for the Hinwil based squad, the Swede finished ahead of the Brazilian in the races more times than not across the season. The 26-year-old also got the better of Nasr in qualifying, beating him twelve to seven.
It is this dogged determination that Kaltenborn believes highlights his potential, leaving her happy with the progress he has demonstrated so far.
“He has taken a very big step up; you see it in his whole appearance as well.
“He gives very valuable input to the team. He can definitely improve; there is a lot to do.
“He knows his strengths and he will learn more, and with his own experience he will find his own limits and how he can work on them.”
The Swede has worked hard on his mental strength during the last few seasons, and Kaltenborn agrees that this has definitely improved Ericsson as a driver.
“That’s very important because it’s not easy for young drivers out there, when people have their prejudices with them, for them to even handle certain situations.
“He’s found his way and he’s learned how to focus much more on things that are really important to him.
“In the last races he really took a step up. There is a lot of potential to come from him.”
