Frédéric Vasseur was left positive after a strong drive from Charles Leclerc gave the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team six points in Sunday’s Russian Grand Prix.
Leclerc was strong all weekend long, qualifying in seventh position, but despite seeing both Aston Martin Red Bull Racing drivers get ahead of him, he was able to make some overtakes of his own, with the one he made on Kevin Magnussen around the outside of turn four particularly impressive.
Team-mate Marcus Ericsson faired less well, with the Swede ending up thirteenth having started tenth, but all in all, team principal Vasseur was pleased with the outcome of the race and with the performance of the C37-Ferrari at the Sochi Autodrom.
“It was a great event for us,” said Vasseur. “We had good starting positions, and both drivers did a consistent job throughout the race.
“Charles showed some impressive overtakes in the opening laps of the race and delivered when it was important. He was strong in managing his tyres and overall had a very strong race.
Marcus gave a consistent performance, and had a good pace, especially at the start of the race. Unfortunately, he got stuck behind another car and could not move forward.”
Vasseur feels it is a good sign for Sauber to have such a strong performance in a race that was not affected by any dramas or safety cars, and it leaves him hoping for another positive performance this coming weekend in Japan.
The result also moves Sauber to within three-points of Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda in the Constructors’ Championship with five races of the season remaining.
“It is a good sign for us as a team to have one of our cars finish in seventh place in a smooth race,” said the Frenchman. “We have to continue pushing and we will see what is possible in Japan.”
