Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team 2018

08.07.2018 LECLERC THROUGH TO Q2 AGAIN AT BLISTERINGLY HOT SILVERSTONE

MARCUS ERICSSON - ALFA ROMEO SAUBER F1 TEAM, 2018 BRITISH GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING, SILVERSTONE
CHARLES LECLERC - ALFA ROMEO SAUBER F1 TEAM, 2018 BRITISH GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING, SILVERSTONE

It turned into another very good qualifying session yesterday afternoon at Silverstone for the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team, with another strong performance by Charles Leclerc (bottom) who once again made it through to the Q3 session to wind up with P9 on the grid while Marcus Ericsson (top) got through to Q2 and will start from P15.

It turned into another very good qualifying session yesterday afternoon at a hot and dry Silverstone Circuit for the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team, with another strong performance by Charles Leclerc who once again made it through to the Q3 session to wind up with P9 on the grid while Marcus Ericsson got through to Q2 and will start from P15.

The weekend on track had kicked off the previous day, Friday, with the first two free practice session and it turned out to be a positive day for the Swiss team with both drivers running competitively in the midfield in the Ferrari-powered C37 chassis.

Facing unusually high air and track temperatures at Silverstone, the team's challenge was to focus on managing their tyres well.

After completing various aerodynamic tests during the FP1 session, the two Sauber cars set out with the same configuration for FP2, during which both drivers gave consistent performances. 

Come yesterday’s challenging qualifying session where the tarmac temperatures reached 54°C, the Alfa Romeo-sponsored team managed to keep the tyres in the right operating window and extract a solid performance from their cars.

Following their regular midfield positions over the past two days of practice and qualifying, the team heads into this afternoon’s British Grand Prix feeling optimistic.

Marcus Ericsson

C37 (Chassis 01/Ferrari)
1st practice: 11th / 1:29.942 min (25 laps) / 2nd practice: 14th / 1:30.046 min (32 laps) / 3rd practice: 10th (1:28.814 min / soft tyres / 17 laps) / Qualifying: 15th in Q2 (1:28.249 min / soft tyres)


“It was a mixed qualifying for me. After a strong performance in FP3 (P10), Q1 was a really good effort – we managed to put everything together and advanced to Q2 again. The second session was a bit disappointing, as I was not able to improve there. Despite this result, I still feel confident for the race. We had a good race pace on Friday and I feel strong in the car. Hopefully, we can bounce back and be even more competitive tomorrow.”

Charles Leclerc

C37 (Chassis 04/Ferrari)
1st practice: 13th / 1:30.027 min (27 laps) / 2nd practice: 10th / 1:29.557 min (30 laps) / 3rd practice: 7th (1:28.146 min / soft tyres / 18 laps) / Qualifying: 9th in Q3 (1:27.962 min / soft tyres)


“I am very happy to have finished qualifying in Q3 again. This is great for the entire team, and it was a strong team effort. Now, we must focus on the race, and continue working the same way to have a good finish tomorrow. That is what will count in the end. Thank you to the team for today, and I look forward to being back in the car tomorrow.”

Photos: Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team - 2018 FIA F1 World Championship

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Photos: Sauber F1 Team / © 2018 Interfuture Media/Italiaspeed