Sauber drivers struggle with fresh option tyres
The Sauber F1 Team drivers, Sergio Pérez and Kamui Kobayashi, have qualified 11th and 16th respectively for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the penultimate round of the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship. Both drivers did their fastest lap times in Q2 on a set of soft tyres they had used before in Q1.
Both men also completed a run on fresh soft tyres in Q2, but when they both struggled to get them to work and therefore neither of them was able to improve.
Sergio Pérez, Sauber C30-Ferrari (Chassis 03 / Ferrari 056):
FP3: 13th/1: 41.566 min (used soft (tyres)
Q: 11th/ 1:40.874 min in Q2 (used soft tyres)
“I’m very happy with 11th in qualifying. Everybody in the team did a good job. I did my fastest lap time in Q2 with a set of soft tyres I had used before in Q1. Of course I was hoping to improve in Q2 when I got the fresh tyres, but it was impossible for me to get them to work. We are in a challenging situation regarding the battle for positions in the constructors’ championship, but I hope for a good race with an aggressive strategy tomorrow. Everything can happen. It will be my first twilight race, but I have seen yesterday and today that the tinted tear off visors work quite well. “
Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber C30-Ferrari (Chassis 01 / Ferrari 056):
FP3: 12th/141.527: min (new soft tyres)
Q: 16th/ 1.41.240 min in Q2 (used soft tyres)
“I did what was eventually my fastest lap time in Q2 on the set of soft tyres I had used before in Q1. This lap wasn’t perfect, but I put my hopes on the set of new tyres. Then we struggled a lot to get the fresh ones up to temperature and that’s why I couldn’t improve. The difference in grip between the used set and the new one was really big. Nevertheless I have a good feeling for the race here.”
Peter Sauber, Team Principal:
“After some difficult qualifying sessions in recent races, we were able to make a step forward today, which is really positive. Sergio drove a very good lap and just missed making it into Q3. He was able to keep the Toro Rosso cars, our direct competitors, behind him and also the two Renault cars, which was positive. For Kamui it didn’t work out that well. However, I’m confident about our performance for the race where it will be crucial to manage the tyres properly.
Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering:
“Our goal for today was to improve our qualifying performance, and Sergio’s 11th place shows that we achieved this goal. In the third free practice we mainly worked on the mechanical set-up of the car. Sergio was able to put in a very good lap, while Kamui was a bit unlucky. It is puzzling to us that both our drivers set their quickest lap times on used soft tyres. We have to analyse this. Now our goal for the race is to score points.”
