25/11/2018
NEWS STORY
After a fantastic season, in which the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team made consistent progress, the team ultimately finished the 2018 FIA Formula One Constructors' Championship in 8th place with a total of 48 points to its tally – a result that reflects the hard work put in by Charles Leclerc, Marcus Ericsson, and the team based at the track as well as at the Switzerland headquarters.
The 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix result was confirmation of the great job done, with the drivers improving throughout the race weekend. Heading out on a one-stop strategy for both, Leclerc started on the compound he qualified with in Q3 on Saturday, the hypersoft, and Ericsson began on the hardest compound, the supersoft, from the 12th spot on the grid. It was an eventful race characterised by an incident shortly after the start but both drivers were doing a very good job of managing the tyres and showing good pace when the race took a different turn for each of the two Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team drivers. Charles Leclerc gave another excellent performance fighting in the upper-midfield and scoring points with a P7. Marcus Ericsson, motivated to finish his last race on a positive, headed into the race giving a good performance and improving his pace lap by lap. Unfortunately, the Swede had to retire from the race due to a mechanical issue on lap 26 while he was in the top-ten.
Charles Leclerc finished the 2018 FIA Formula One Drivers' Championship in 13th (39 points), and Marcus Ericsson in 17th (9 points) place.
The team thanks both drivers for their excellent performances and great team work this year, bidding farewell to Charles Leclerc and Marcus Ericsson with the warmest wishes for both of their futures.
Marcus Ericsson: "The race did not end as I would have liked it to, and it is disappointing to have had to retire from it. We started on the hardest compound and I struggled with the balance a bit in the first stint. Just a few laps before I had to retire the car started feeling better and the pace was good. It would have been great to continue like that and score some more points today, but I am still happy with our performance. It has been a long year and I am very thankful for the hard work put in by the team. We should all be very proud of this season and the incredible progress we made. It has been my best season so far in Formula One and I will always remember it."
Charles Leclerc: "I think that there was more in the race for us today, but we rounded off the season with a decent P7 and some more points. I would like to thank the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team for this incredible year and everything they have taught me. It has been great to work together and to see all of the effort reflected in the progress we have made. We can all be proud to have been part of it, and I wish them all the best for the future."
Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal: "It is a great feeling to finish the championship in P8, especially if you look back at where we were last year and for the first two events. The improvements made have been huge, and this is thanks to the work done by the team at the track and in the factory. Our targets have risen, and the motivation for next year is high across all departments. A huge credit for our evolution goes to the drivers, who did a great job together and pushed each other to improve session after session and race after race. We thank Marcus and Charles for their great contribution and wish them both all the best for the future."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Yas Marina, here.