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Marcus Ericsson drove a long first stint, changing from soft to ultrasoft on lap 38. When it started to rain, he remained on track where he was very good at controlling the car and managing his tyres. In a hectic race, with many of the teams pitting, and a hard fight in the midfield, he remained calm and determined, finally finishing in P9 and scoring two more points for the team. |
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The race changed face when the rain, that had long been threatened, finally started to fall. It was a crucial moment and the team decided to call Charles Leclerc in to pit on lap 43, and change to intermediate tyres very early. When the rain decreased just a few laps later the team had no choice put to bring him back in again to change back to ultrasoft tyres and that compromised his chase of the top ten positions. |
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A mixed weekend for the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team at Hockenheim in yesterday's German Grand Prix with Marcus Ericsson finishing in the points for the second time in three races while team mate Charles Leclerc's ambitions on the top ten fell apart in the closing stages of the race.
After showing good pace during practice and qualifying last Friday and Saturday the team lined up for the start of the race with Leclerc in P9 and Ericsson in P13. The early laps went as planned with both drivers fighting in the midfield, albeit Leclerc dropped a couple of places.
The race changed face when the rain, that had long been threatened, finally started to fall. It was a crucial moment and the team decided to call Leclerc in to pit on lap 43, and change to intermediate tyres very early. When the rain decreased just a few laps later the team had no choice put to bring him back in again to change back to ultrasoft tyres.
From that moment on, his race was an uphill battle with the track conditions made particularly challenging by intermittent rain. However, after showing a maturity beyond his rookie status over recent races, his inexperience reared its head yesterday and Leclarc made several mistakes in the changing conditions and eventually he finished the race in P15.
With the talk of Ferrari-supported Leclerc being promoted to Kimi Raikkonen's seat at the Scuderia next year now reaching fever pitch it wasn't the best time to remind everyone of his inexperience.
The changing of senior management at Ferrari, with Sergio Marchionne, who is believed to have favoured promoting Leclerc, now gone from the picture for health reasons while it's widely believed that Scuderia Team Principal Maurico Arrivabene favours retaining Raikkonen, means the picture is now much less clear.
It was a different race for Ericsson who drove a long first stint, changing from soft to ultrasoft on lap 38. When it started to rain, he remained on track where he was very good at controlling the car and managing his tyres. In a hectic race, with many of the teams pitting, and a hard fight in the midfield, he remained calm and determined, finally finishing in P9 and scoring two more points for the team.
That was the Swedish driver's third points finish of the season, after scoring 2 points in the second grand prix of the year, in Bahrain and 1 point, two race weekends ago, in Austria.
After an overall positive weekend, the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team heads into the final round ahead of the Formula One summer break feeling confident.
With two additional points to its tally, the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team holds ninth place in the Constructors’ Championship (18 points). Charles Leclerc is currently in P15 (13 points), and Marcus Ericsson in P17 (5 points) in the Drivers’ Championship.
Marcus Ericsson
C37 (Chassis 03/Ferrari)
Result: 9th. Start on soft tyres, after 38 laps change to ultrasoft tyres
“It is very satisfying to be back in the points. It was a difficult race, especially in terms of managing the tyres. We had a long first stint on soft tyres. After the rain started, together with the team, we decided to keep calm and stay out. It was a big challenge not to make any mistakes because the track was very slippery and demanding but I was able to manage the hectic situation. At the end of the race, there was a lot of pitting among the teams, and there were some good fights for the points. All in all, it was a fun race to drive, and it is very satisfying to finish it in P9. It is great for the team, a great boost for all of us, and we go to Budapest feeling positive.”
Charles Leclerc
C37 (Chassis 02/Ferrari)
Result: 15th. Start on ultrasoft tyres, after 20 laps change to soft tyres, after 43 laps change to intermediate tyres, and after 46 laps change to ultrasoft tyres
“It was a disappointing outcome to the race for me today. After having a good start, I was able to keep my position in the upper midfield during the first stint. The performance was good and I felt confident in the car. As the rain started to appear, I was called in for a change to intermediate tyres. As the track was only wet in a few of the corners, the tyres were destroyed after just a few laps. From that moment, the race was a struggle. I lost a lot of positions in that time, and it was a challenge to try and get the tyres to work. It is unfortunate to finish the race in this way. However, we did make good progress again this weekend. I am now focused on the next race in Hungary, and look forward to being back in the car there.”
Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal
“There were two sides to the race today. Marcus had a very positive day. He managed a demanding situation very well and had good control of the slick tyres on a wet track. He gave a strong performance and good pace from beginning to end, scoring two more points for the team. On the other hand, it was a tough race for Charles. He started in a good position and showed a strong performance. Unfortunately, we made a risky call when it started to rain. We brought him in and put him on intermediate tyres. That compromised his race. Looking at the race weekend as a whole, we made good progress and are confident that we will continue on this positive path during the upcoming Grand Prix weekend in Hungary.”
Photos: Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team - 2018 FIA F1 World Championship
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