It was a disappointing Hungarian Grand Prix for the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team as both drivers were involved in first laps incidents that eliminated Charles Leclerc immediately while Marcus Ericsson would recover but eventually trail home down in P15.
On the grid, Ericsson started from P14 while Leclerc lined up right behind him in P16 and the two drivers went into the race ready to try to work their way into the midfield.
Leclerc however was involved in an incident on the opening lap of the grand prix, and sustained damage to his car that required him to retire from the race immediately.
Ericsson was also involved in an incident on the first lap and fell to the back of the field. From there he was faced with recovering positions on a track where is very difficult to overtake. He didn’t make much progress for the rest of the race and would ultimately only manage to finish in P15.
The Sauber cars were carrying black flashes on their halos last weekend in rememberance of former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne who passed away last week and was the driving force behind the title sponsorship arrangement by Alfa Romeo and the Swiss team for this season.
Now the team’s attention shifts to the two day official F1 test which takes place at the Hungaroring tomorrow (31 July) and Wednesday (1 August). Ericsson will be in action in the Ferrari-powered Sauber C37 on Day 1 while Ferrari junior driver Antonio Giovinazzi, who has driven for the team during the FP1 sessions for the last two weekends, will take over on Day 2.
After the final race before the month-long summer break fizzled out with no points on the board, the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team heads into August remaining in ninth place, with 18 points, in the Constructors’ Championship.
With the rival Toro Rosso team picking up 8 points in Hungary the gap to the Italian tean ahead has now widened to 10 points while the only team currently behind Sauber in the points table is the troubled Williams outfit, which has totted up just 4 points so far this season.
Leclerc is currently in fifteenth place in the Drivers’ standings with 13 points after failing to score for the second consecutive weekend while Ericsson is in seventeenth place on 5 points.
Marcus Ericsson
C37 (Chassis 03/Ferrari)
Result: 15th. Start on ultrasoft tyres, after 6 laps change to medium tyres
“It was a difficult race. I lost positions after the collision on the first lap and fell to the back of the grid. From there on, it was a difficult race. I tried to overtake the cars ahead, but it is quite tricky on a track like this. When the safety car came out early on during the race, we decided to box and change to medium tyres. It was a good move, and we managed to gain a few positions back. Unfortunately, not much more was possible. Overall, it was not a great race for us, but we will analyse it and come back stronger. I have a day of testing ahead this week and will head into the summer break after that. I look forward to having some time to review the season so far, and to come back even stronger.”
Charles Leclerc
C37 (Chassis 02/Ferrari)
Result: DNF. Start on soft tyres
“It is a bit unfortunate to finish the last race before the summer break like this. Shortly after the start, I got stuck between two other cars which caused damage to my car. I had to retire from the race as a consequence. On the other hand, the season has been positive so far. We have made more progress than expected, and I have learned a lot and have scored some points. I look forward to my summer break now, and will use the time to relax and train for the second half of the season.”
Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal
“It was not a good day for us. Both of our drivers were involved in incidents in the opening lap which defined the outcome of their races. Charles was involved in a collision during the start and damaged the car. We had to instruct him to stop and retire from the race. Marcus was also involved in an incident on the first lap of the race, and lost all positions as a result. It was a tough job to fight his way back after that, and he finished the race in P15. All in all, the season has been positive so far. Both Marcus and Charles have brought points home, and we have made progress race after race as a team. We are confident that we will continue doing so after the summer break, and I look forward to the second half of the season.”
Photos: Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team: F1 World Championship 2018
