29/11/2015
NEWS STORY
The Sauber F1 Team finished the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix night race, the 2015 season finale, in P14 (Marcus Ericsson) and P15 (Felipe Nasr). The Swiss team finished eighth in the constructors' championship. In the drivers' championship Nasr and Ericsson were 13th and 18th with the Sauber C34-Ferrari. At the same time, Nasr is the second best rookie in his first Formula One season. Both drivers are already looking forward to racing again for the Sauber F1 Team in the 2016 season. At the factory in Hinwil, the focus is now on next year's Sauber C35-Ferrari.
Marcus Ericsson: "It was a decent race after what was overall a difficult weekend. We tried a different strategy, but we were struggling to keep up with the midfield to fight for points. In terms of performance, we got the maximum out of what we had today. Of course, the result is disappointing. My first season with the Sauber F1 Team is finished - it has been a pleasure. First of all, I want to thank everyone, both at the track and also back at the factory, for their hard work. I have got to know a lot of great people. I have learned a lot during the year, and I am very happy to be staying for next season. I am confident we can keep pushing and make some steps forward next year."
Felipe Nasr: "I was unlucky with my start to the race. I was in the sandwich between two cars, which caused damage to my front wing. Because of this, I had to make an early pit stop, which cost time. After that, it was all about catching up with the drivers in front of me. Finishing in this position was not the way we wanted to end the season. However, overall it's been a good season for me. I am pleased we were able to keep the eighth position in the constructors' championship, as well as holding onto my 13th in the drivers' championship. It shows that everyone in the team put a lot of effort into this season throughout the year. I want to thank everyone for the dedicated work. Now we will focus on 2016."
Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal: "After the season finale overall we can deliver a positive summary. Marcus and Felipe have learned a lot, showed their potential and been impressive with solid performances. It was a demanding and eventful 2015 season. Despite a difficult and challenging environment, we achieved our objective to have a significantly improved performance compared to 2014 due to the dedicated commitment by the whole team. I would like to say thanks to all the employees at the race track as well as in the factory in Hinwil. Now we will fully concentrate on the 2016 season."
Check out our Sunday gallery, here.