Sauber test some new items on C30
On a day when there was heavy smog and a slippery surface at the Shanghai International Circuit, both free practice sessions for the Chinese Grand Prix were trouble free for the Sauber F1 Team. In the morning Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Pérez tested various items on their Sauber C30-Ferraris. In the second session it was the normal race preparation.
Kamui Kobayashi:
Sauber C30-Ferrari (Chassis 03 / Ferrari 056)
1st Practice: 19th / 1:43.792 min (20 laps) / 2nd Practice: 11th / 1:39.538 min (33 laps)
“Overall we had a reasonable pace today, but I think we can improve. We need some time to get a better set-up and adjust the balance. The grip level was very low, especially at the beginning of the day. The track is quite dusty and some parts have new tarmac, which was quite tricky. I did a long run with the soft tyres and they were all right.”
Sergio Pérez:
Sauber C30-Ferrari (Chassis 02 / Ferrari 056)
1st Practice: 7th / 1:41.189 min (20 laps) / 2nd Practice: 17th / 1:39.953 min (30 laps)
“I think we have collected a lot of information today for us to analyse tonight, and this is especially from the long runs. I guess we can improve, in particular for qualifying when you need to put a single lap together. I also hope to improve in myself as, after catching a cold from the air conditioning, I haven’t felt well since the race in Malaysia, but it is getting better.”
James Key, Technical Director:
“Free practice one kicked off with different test items for each driver. We ran through some aerodynamic tests and gathered some useful data. In performance terms this session wasn’t very useful, because the track had low grip and we only ran one set of tyres on each car. In the afternoon we used four new sets of tyres and went through some set up changes to the cars in race spec. I think there is a bit of work to do on the balance of the car in sector one and, although we improved that sector a bit, it is a weak point from what we can see. I think Kamui’s time would have been better, but he made a small mistake at the end of the lap, and Sergio’s lap just didn’t quite come together, so we shall have to look at that for the soft tyre. Otherwise the cars ran reliably, but the balance here is different compared to the other two races, so it is a moving target.”
Weather: hazy and dusty, dry track, 26-27°C air, 29-35°C track
