Sauber believe podium finish is proof of their performance elevation in 2012 – Formula 1 news
Sauber says its second podium finish of the year is proof that the team’s Malaysian Grand Prix was not a one off performance.
Sergio Perez did extremely well during the rain-affected Malaysian GP to narrowly miss out on winning his maiden GP win. Fernando Alonso eventually went on to win the race but Perez got a taste of the podium for the first time in his career.
Many believed it to be a freak result but after the recently concluded Canadian GP Sauber can easily say that it was not the case and its driver and the car has the potential to be winners.
Sauber CEO Monisha Kaltenborn said, “Everybody has been saying: 'the car is fast, the car is competitive' - but our efficiency in getting the points has been really bad.”
“So this kind of result shows it was not just a one-off or a freak event in those Malaysia conditions, but that we really are there. It boils down to how we do our weekend and that we do not do mistakes,” she added.
After Perez’s Malaysian GP performance, he was not able to show similar showing in the following Grands Prix. Talks of him looked into by Ferrari as a replacement for Felipe Massa in 2013 also started to come in the media but Ferrari were quick to say that
he is too inexperienced at the moment to be part of Ferrari.
“We clearly have a competitive car and the team chose a very good strategy that worked out through many other reasons. Sergio did a fantastic job, the crew there with the pit stop which lately have not really been our strength, did a fantastic job as well.
It really all worked out well and it is a great moment,” Monisha added.
Kaltenborn added that the weather and the compounds do have an impact on the result of the races but it cannot be reduced down to only those two factors. There are other things at play and the driver and the car are also part of the mix that makes up the
win.
It will be interesting to see if Sauber can come up with a Grand Prix win like their rivals Williams.
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