However, it proved to be another disappointing race for his team mate Charles Leclerc. Starting in P12, having made it through to the Q2 session once again, the Monegasque driver had to abruptly retire after being caught up in a Turn 1 collision that occurred between Niko Hülkenberg and Fernando Alonso where he was an innocent bystander.

After a superb opening part of the year after which he was being widely tipped to replace Kimi Raikkonen at Scuderia Ferrari in 2019 the wheels have well and truly come off Leclerc’s season. He’s failed to score points for four consecutive races now and made a number of mistakes – although he was blameless for yesterday’s retirement.

However, with Sergio Marchionne – who was believed to be strongly interested in promoting him to the Scuderia – having passed away in July, it now looks as if he’s more likely to end up at the Ferrari-powered Haas team next year in place of the hapless Romain Grosjean.

The Sauber team is now travelling to Italy, where it will take part in the F1 Festival in Milan the day after tomorrow (Wednesday 29 August) before heading into the Italian Grand Prix race weekend at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.

The Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team has 19 points and currently holds eighth place in the F1 Constructors’ Championship having gained a place due to the Force India team being stripped of its points. However, the new Racing Point Force India entity collected 18 points yesterday and will most likely overhaul Sauber next weekend in Italy. Meanwhile, in the F1 Drivers’ championship Leclerc is in fifteenth place and Marcus Ericsson in seventeenth place.

Marcus Ericsson

C37 (Chassis 04/Ferrari)
Result: 10th. Start on soft tyres, after 26 laps change to supersoft tyres

“It was quite a positive race. I had a solid start, stayed out of trouble, and made some good decisions. Throughout the race, I had some interesting fights. The car felt good, and it is nice to finish the weekend with a point. The team did a great job, and we are encouraged as we go into the next race. We are heading to Monza now, which is Alfa Romeo’s home race. It will be exciting to see all of the passionate fans there, and I look forward to racing again.”

Charles Leclerc

C37 (Chassis 02/Ferrari)
Result: DNF. Start on soft tyres

“It was disappointing to end the race in such a way. Just after the start, I was caught up in an incident between two other drivers and had to retire from the race. I am now looking forward to the next race weekend at Monza. It will be an important one for us, especially with our Title Sponsor, Alfa Romeo, being such an iconic Italian brand. We will do our best to have a positive weekend there.”

Frédéric Vasseur (Team Principal)

“It was a mixed race for us. Charles had to retire on the first lap due to an incident that took place between two other drivers. On the other hand, Marcus had a strong race and finished in P10, scoring another point for the team. He gave a consistent performance and did a good job. Our next stop is Monza, which will be an important race for us as a team. Our target is to continue making progress, and we aim to deliver a strong qualifying result with both of our drivers there.”

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