Qualifying outcome 'not satisfactory' for Sauber
In qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, both Sauber F1 Team drivers managed to make it into Q2. However, there they finished in P15 (Adrian Sutil) and P16 (Esteban Gutiérrez). Things could look very different tomorrow, if the current weather forecast is correct and there will be rain during the race.
Esteban Gutiérrez, car #21, Sauber C33-Ferrari (Chassis 02/Ferrari), 16th: “Q1 seemed to be quite positive and strong. But then I had some traffic on my out lap in Q2 which compromised my performance a bit. The tyre temperature was not on target, so it was difficult to get the tyres to work. However, tomorrow we could have some opportunities depending on the weather conditions, and we have to be prepared for that challenge.”
Adrian Sutil, car #99, Sauber C33-Ferrari (Chassis 03/Ferrari), 15th: “So far, this has been a difficult weekend for us. The car is not easy to drive, nevertheless we were able to improve consistently in qualifying. I made it into Q2, and we then made some changes to the balance of the car, which enabled us to make a significant step forward. So I was able to improve my lap time at the end of Q2, but more than P15 was not possible. However, I believe, based on the current weather forecast, we could have good opportunities tomorrow.”
Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal: “Considering that we had a difficult Friday, we were able to reduce the gap to our competitors today. Nevertheless, it’s not a satisfactory result. According to the weather forecast everything is possible tomorrow, therefore it will be important to concentrate on the race and grab every opportunity that might come up.”
Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering: “Yesterday it was not a good day for us, so today we can be satisfied on the operational side at least. Both drivers did a decent job in bringing back some balance into the car. Unfortunately, the starting positions 15th for Adrian and 16th for Esteban are not satisfying, but this result reflects where we currently stand. However, the weather forecast predicts rain for tomorrow, so this can add some thrills into the race. We will try to get the best out of what we have.”
