The Technical Director of the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team, Jörg Zander, felt the team had a positive first day of pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Monday, despite the low temperatures making it difficult to get temperature into the tyres.
The C37, powered by the current specification of Ferrari power unit, was given its first proper track outing by Swede Marcus Ericsson, who completed sixty-three problem-free laps on Monday, and set the eleventh fastest time overall.
Zander, who joined the team at the end of 2016 but has had a bigger hand of the design of the 2018 car than its predecessor, says the team has a long way to go in getting the maximum out of the C37, but the initial thoughts were all positive.
“We had a successful start to winter testing today,” said Zander. “In general, our target was to get a first glance and understanding of how the new C37 behaves on track.
“We worked on the set-up of the car, and made changes to the aerodynamic balance throughout the day. Due to the low temperatures, we had some difficulties in getting the tyres into the right working window. The conditions were not ideal, however, they applied to all of the teams at the circuit.
“It is positive that we had a trouble-free day without any technical issues. Overall, we can be satisfied with our first day of testing here in Barcelona. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and look forward to the rest of the week.”
