Bahrain GP: Praise for Ericsson and Alfa Sauber
FIRST WRC POINTS The loyal Sauber F1 fans didn't have to wait long for a sense of achievement, nor did the new team main sponsor Alfa Romeo. Whether the upward trend will continue after Marcus Ericsson's great ninth-place finish will become clear next weekend in China. At just the second Grand Prix of 2018, the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team [...]
In just its second Grand Prix of 2018, the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team made the most of its opportunity. Thanks to a clever tire strategy and a flawless drive by Marcus Ericsson, the Swede's ninth-place finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix already earned him his first championship points of the still-young Formula 1 season.
Of course, the team also benefited from the early double retirement of Red Bull Racing, who would otherwise have been unbeatable on their own merits.
In addition, Ferrari's powertrain is no longer a comparison to last year, when the Swiss team started with the engine and transmission from 2016. The Scuderia's second victory of the season with Sebastian Vettel ahead of the two Mercedes of Bottas and Hamilton proves that the Italians are on a par with the defending champions in 2018. This also indirectly benefits Alfa Sauber F1.
Second-best career result for Marcus Ericsson
Starting from 17th place, Ericsson quickly worked his way up to 12th. Before his only pit stop on lap 23, the Sauber driver was even sixth at times. He then slipped back to 15th place, but the one-stop strategy he chose allowed him to move steadily forward again.
Ninth place and two championship points are Marcus Ericsson's second-best result in 78 Grands Prix so far. Only in 2015 in Australia did the 27-year-old blond start the season even better.
Marcus Ericsson: "It was a challenge for me to preserve the tires until the end of the race. I had to be smart as a driver and choose my battles so that I didn't wear out my tires too much. It was a great team effort. I'm really happy and satisfied, and I'm looking forward to continuing on this path."
Focus on the GP of China next weekend
The race in the desert state under floodlights was somewhat more complicated for Charles Leclerc. The 20-year-old Monegasque had to visit his pit crew after just three laps due to difficulties with his front tires. His medium tires then didn't last as long as hoped, so that after another pit stop after 34 of 57 laps no more than 14th place was possible. Due to the penalties of two competitors ahead of him, Leclerc moved up to 12th place retrospectively.
At the expense of Force India, the Alfa Sauber F1 Team has moved up to eighth place in the Constructors' World Championship. Bringing up the rear is Williams, the only team still without points (two 14th-place finishes). Team boss Frédéric Vasseur therefore praised the work of his entire squad.
Frédéric Vasseur: "The race in Bahrain was a very good first step for us. The result is a reward for all the work that our race team and all the other team members have done in our factory in Hinwil over the winter. As happy as we are about this, we are immediately focusing on the upcoming race in Shanghai. There we want to build on our performance from Bahrain right away."
