Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team‘s potential “is becoming more clear with every weekend” says Marcus Ericsson, following team-mate Charles Leclerc‘s sixth-place finish.
Unlike Leclerc Ericsson had a race to forget, receiving a ten-second penalty for causing a collision with Haas F1 Team driver Kevin Magnussen at the start of the race and finishing just half a second off the points in eleventh. Far from being based on pace, his result was undoubtedly helped by the six retirements ahead of him, and the late safety car which caused a four lap sprint to the flag.
Despite just missing out on the points, missing out on the final point to Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda‘s Brendon Hartley, Ericsson says his eleventh place is good considering the damage he picked up on the first lap.
“It was a difficult race for me. I was involved in an incident at the beginning of the race, and picked up some damage to the car. I was struggling to keep everything together after that, and I gave everything to catch up with my direct competitors. In the end, it was good to manage to finish in P11.”
Leclerc’s points finish is Sauber’s second of the season so far, following Ericsson’s ninth place in the Bahrain Grand Prix. This is motivation for the team, says Ericsson, who is looking forward to the next race at the Spanish Grand Prix.
“As a team, we have scored points for the second time this season, which is very motivating, and our potential is becoming more clear with every weekend. We must keep up the good work now. I look forward to the next race weekend in Barcelona.”
