Sauber doesn't get rewarded for hard work
Despite very poor grid positions – Sergio Pérez started 15th, and Kamui Kobayashi started last on the grid after a technical failure in qualifying – the Sauber F1 Team managed to score another point at the Turkish GP.
Kobayashi finished tenth after countless overtaking manoeuvres and despite a puncture. Pérez also had a strong race, but he lost time due to an early stop for repairs and finished 14th.
Kamui Kobayashi: 10th
Sauber C30-Ferrari (Chassis 04 / Ferrari 056)
“It was a lot of fun today, I really enjoyed this race. I found overtaking here a lot easier than last year in Hungary. Before the race I had promised Peter (Sauber) to score points today. It is just one point now because we lost so much time due to a puncture, which was the result of touching Sébastien Buemi when I overtook him. Otherwise I think I could have finished seventh and score more points. The car was great and also the team had a very good strategy for me, so I want to thank them for this. In the end I had to be a bit careful and save the tyres, because the last stint was quite long with 20 laps, but it worked out well.”
Sergio Pérez: 14th
Sauber C30-Ferrari (Chassis 03 / Ferrari 056)
“We had a good pace today and I clearly had a chance to score my first points. It is a real shame what happened on the first lap. Pastor Maldonado was braking quite hard in front of me and I couldn’t avoid hitting him. I broke my front wing and had to pit. Apart from that I found it quite difficult to manage the tyres - both compounds actually - but the car was really good. I will now continue to work with the team to improve my qualifying performance.”
Peter Sauber, Team Principal: “The Sauber C30 Ferrari was excellent today, as were both our drivers, and the strategy could not have been any better. Kamui overtook countless drivers, and Sergio also passed many competitors. Unfortunately neither driver was able to get the full reward they deserved today. However, Kamui scored one point despite starting from the back of the grid, which was amazing.”
James Key, Technical Director: “What an eventful race! A great drive by both our drivers. The car was definitely a lot better than in qualifying, and the drivers extracted the most out of it. It’s a real shame we couldn’t get them both in the points and finish a bit higher up, because it was possible. Unfortunately, Sergio had front wing damage on lap one, and we had to change his strategy and put him at the back of the pack. Kamui had a puncture towards the end of the second stint, which dropped him back. So it’s a real shame, but we can’t complain, because we managed to squeeze a point out of it after starting with both drivers in a compromised position. I think it’s a tribute to Kamui’s race craft to go from P24 to 10. Now we have an updated package for Barcelona, and we hope this will help us to continue to score points on a regular basis.”
