Free Practice 1 and 2 at Albert Park has officially launched the 2017 Formula 1 season, and provided Sauber F1 Team with the opportunity to make the final tweaks to their car’s balance, improvements welcomed by Marcus Ericsson.
Following pre-season testing in Barcelona, Sauber were left wanting in regards to how the car felt. In the time since leaving the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the team has scrutinised all of the data gathered over that two-week period and altered the car accordingly.
Melbourne was the first time they were able to test the changes, and by the sound of it, the car is greatly improved compared to how it was just a few weeks ago.
“Overall it’s been a positive day for us,” Ericsson said. “During testing in Barcelona we were not completely happy with the balance of the car.
“After analysing all the data, we have made a step forward as I feel more comfortable in the car here in Melbourne.”
Ericsson managed a total of 59 laps over the two practice sessions, trialling the various compounds over Albert Park’s unique, constantly changing street circuit. He finished 15th overall with a best time of 1:26.498.
“Today we managed to run a good number of laps on different tyre compounds, so overall it’s been a nice start into the weekend,” he added.
