02/09/2018
NEWS STORY
A historic weekend has come to an end, with the 2018 FIA Formula One Italian Grand Prix having given the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team the experience of a home race.
Both Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team drivers fought their way through the tightly-packed field to finish 12th and 16th after a challenging weekend. Charles raced through from P15 on the grid and was progressing well through the midfield, until his race was compromised by contact with another car. His car suffered some damage and he had to start working on recovering from the set-back. The team adapted Charles' strategy at this point, which worked well. The Monegasque driver gained some positions, ultimately finishing the race in P12.
Marcus Ericsson started the race from P18, after having had very little running this weekend and a new ICE in place following his accident on Friday. He fought hard to make up ground, after a good start. He was hit by another car on the first lap resulting in a left rear puncture, and had to pit prematurely. From that moment, he had to recover positions and fight back. The Swede ultimately finished the race in P16.
This weekend marked a return to Formula One for the iconic Alfa Romeo brand at Monza where the sport's first world champion, Nino Farina, won the final race of the inaugural World Championship season in 1950 in the GP Tipo 158 "Alfetta".
The Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team currently holds 9th place in the Constructors' Championship. Charles Leclerc is in 15th, and Marcus Ericsson in 17th place in the Drivers' Championship.
Marcus Ericsson: "It was not the best weekend for me. To be honest, it was quite a tough race. I had a good start, however, shortly after I was touched by another car which caused a puncture on my left rear tyre. I had to pit and from that point on it was a difficult race. I look forward to Singapore now, and am confident that we can fight back there.
Charles Leclerc: "It was a challenging race. We lost quite a bit of time because of the contact. After we undercut our competitors with our strategy, we did manage to get ahead but it was too late for us to advance to a top-ten position. Our pace was quite good, so it is a shame not to finish in the points. Nevertheless, it was a good race, and I look forward to getting back in the car in Singapore."
Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal: "It was a challenging weekend - but taking into consideration how eventful it was, all in all we had a good race. The pace was better and we were in front of some of our main competitors. Marcus and Charles recovered some of the positions they lost in qualifying, and did a good job to fight their way into the midfield. Nevertheless, our aim is still to score points going forward. We have to keep on working hard and stay positive and focused for the next Grand Prix in Singapore."