Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Race – Sunday
26.11.2017
Weather: dry, 25°C air, 28-31°C track
The Sauber F1 Team finished the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix twilight race in P14 (Pascal Wehrlein) and P17 (Marcus Ericsson). With the 2017 season having come to an end, Wehrlein holds 18th and Ericsson 20th place in the FIA Drivers’ Championship. The Sauber F1 Team finished in 10th place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Marcus Ericsson (car number 9):
Sauber C36-Ferrari (Chassis 03/Ferrari)
Result: 17th. Start on supersoft tyres, after 30 laps change to ultrasoft tyres
“It was a difficult race. I had a good start, but on the first corner I ran wide and lost some time there. I was then struggling on the first stint; I couldn’t really keep the pace. After the pit stop the balance of the car felt better so I was able to push again. In the second half of the race I could close the gap to the cars in front of me, but generally it is difficult to overtake on this track.”
Pascal Wehrlein (car number 94):
Sauber C36-Ferrari (Chassis 04/Ferrari)
Result: 14th. Start on supersoft tyres, after 28 laps change to ultrasoft tyres
“I had fun in the race today. My start was ok and I was able to maintain a steady performance and gradually advance to the midfield. I had a nice, lengthy battle with Kevin (Magnussen) ahead of me – unfortunately, I could not quite get him on the straights. It was good to have an action loaded season finale, though.”
Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal:
“It was a decent race today – Pascal advanced well and was competing with Kevin (Magnussen) ahead. He did a good job in overtaking, but then he lost him on the straights. Marcus’ race was ok, but he seemed to be struggling with the balance of the car. Overall, we can see that we have made some improvements in the last few races. We are now focusing on 2018 and building on the progress we have made.”