Sauber hopeful of improved pace
The Sauber F1 Team enjoyed a productive first day of practice ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix. The new aerodynamic update, which had been tested last week at the Mugello circuit, was found to be working well around the Circuit de Catalunya.
Kamui Kobayashi came third and ninth respectively in the two 90-minute sessions of free practice on Friday. Sergio Pérez was 15th and 12th respectively on the time sheets.
Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber C31-Ferrari (Chassis 03/Ferrari 056):
1st Practice: 3rd / 1:24.912 min (28 laps) / 2nd Practice: 9th / 1:24.214 min (41 laps)
“It was a good first day here for us. I think my fastest lap time on soft tyres should have been a little bit better, but I wasn’t pushing enough on that lap. The long runs looked okay with both the hard and the soft tyre compounds. However, I think for qualifying we should improve the balance of the car. We have had a smooth day and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.“
Sergio Pérez, Sauber C31-Ferrari (Chassis 04/Ferrari 056):
1st Practice: 15th / 1:25.918 min (19 laps) / 2nd Practice: 12th / 1:24.422 min (32 laps)
“In the morning the car’s balance wasn’t good and we had to change quite a lot for the afternoon session. We worked in the right direction, as it was an improvement and therefore it really was a productive day. I found on long runs both tyre compounds were degrading quite a lot, but we will see what we can do to help in this respect.“
Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering:
“Overall we had a good Friday. We were able to cover the programme with both cars and both tyre compounds. Sergio’s last run was somewhat hampered after a previous off which had resulted in some damage of the floor. What we can see from measurements the new aero package, which was introduced in Mugello, works as expected. So also in that regard we are quite happy. We have done good mileage and now have a lot of data to look at.“
