Sauber show progress with Spanish double points finish
The Sauber Formula One Team will leave the Circuit de Catalunya in a happy mood after both Sergio Pérez and Kamui Kobayashi scored points in the Spanish Grand Prix by finishing ninth and tenth respectively.
This has added another three points to the team’s score after there has been a Sauber C30-Ferrari in the points for the fourth consecutive race this season. This result is particularly significant for the team’s rookie driver, Pérez, as these are his first ever world championship points.
Sergio Pérez: 9th
Sauber C30-Ferrari (Chassis 03 / Ferrari 056)
“It was a tough race today and a hard fight for points. I’m really happy we made it. My first points in Formula One are obviously something special for me, and it is good for the team that Kamui also scored. The team had a very good race strategy and did a perfect job at the pit stops. I feel that for me today is a turning point in this season. We will continue well and score more points.”
Kamui Kobayashi: 10th
Sauber C30-Ferrari (Chassis 04 / Ferrari 056)
“I lost a lot of time on lap one today. After the start I was pushed into the gravel and then another car touched me, which resulted in a left rear puncture. I had to pit and was relegated to last, which of course cost us a very good set of the soft tyres. I had to do quite a long stint on the harder tyres, which was not easy, but overall the race pace was okay. I’m happy to have scored for the fourth time in a row, and think we are going in the right direction.”
Peter Sauber, Team Principal: “It is not easy in this very strong field to get points if you start 12th and 14th. Despite a puncture on Kamui’s car, thanks to a good strategy we managed to get both cars into the top ten. Congratulations to Sergio for his first championship points, as after he lost those from Melbourne he has had to wait a while. Kamui has shown another good fight back from the tail end of the field. I am very happy the new aero package has had the effect that the gap to the top teams did not grow and the gap to those behind did not shrink. I want to send a thank you to Hinwil.”
James Key, Technical Director: “It was a difficult start to the race in many ways. We recovered well and I think both drivers did particularly good jobs to get into the points. It was quite eventful right from the outset when we think Kamui was pushed onto the grass on the first lap and then got a puncture. He ended up coming in at the end of lap one and so was last on lap two. It was a great effort from him to come back and score a point, rather similar to the last race in Turkey, but this time without any tyre advantages. Sergio also drove well. He came in early and then really pushed on the hard tyre. Then we had some reasonably good soft tyres at the end when he managed to get up to the people he was fighting with and overtake them.”
