Frederic Vasseur was delighted to see the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team finish with both drivers inside the top ten in the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, the first time the Hinwil-based team had done that since the 2015 Chinese Grand Prix.
Both Charles Leclerc and Marcus Ericsson started towards the back of the field on Sunday but drove superbly, with the Monegasque racer taking his fifth top ten finish of the season and the Swede his second. Leclerc even survived an early trip through the gravel trap on lap two to drop to the back of the field to further enhance his growing reputation.
Both managed to pass Pierre Gasly to move up into ninth and tenth, and the duo also switched places to allow Ericsson to attack Fernando Alonso for eighth in the final laps, only for Leclerc to reassume the position on the final lap when it was clear the McLaren F1 Team racer was out of reach.
Team Principal Vasseur says the points scored at the Red Bull Ring shows the team are heading in the right direction, but he insists it is important the team keep their focus as they bid to end the first half of the season on the front foot.
“It was a very good race for us,” said Vasseur. “Both our drivers made a great recovery after starting from quite far back on the grid.
“To have two cars finish in the points today is an important achievement for the whole team, both at the track and in the factory. This is another sign for us that we are moving in the right direction.
“We have to keep our focus on continuing in this direction for the next few races to finish the first half of the season on a positive note.”
