Sauber will aim for points in Barcelona

Kamui Kobayashi expressed satisfaction with the tests carried out by the Sauber team at Mugello. The Swiss team had brought in many new features, and they seemed to work well. But the real test will be Barcelona: « During the Mugello tests, I really felt that the new features added to the car allowed us to make a step forward. It’s a good thing, of course, but we can’t claim it’s a real improvement until we’re on the Barcelona circuit. Not just because private testing never allows for true comparisons, but also because the Catalunya circuit is special. »

Giampaolo Dall’Ara, the head of track engineers, shares the same opinion as the Japanese driver: We tested major innovations on the car at Mugello, with a new front wing and new bodywork elements, including a new exhaust outlet and a new diffuser. The results of these tests were encouraging.

Even though Sauber’s rivals have also brought updates, Dall’Ara thinks that his two drivers can achieve a good result in Spain: «However, all the teams had updates, and only the coming weekend will confirm our ability to strengthen our position compared to our rivals. Nevertheless, I am confident that we will deliver a very good performance in Barcelona.»

The Barcelona circuit is a well-known track among F1 drivers, but it is not so easy to tackle, as Kobayashi mentioned: «It has everything – fast corners, mid-speed corners, and slow-speed corners. Even if everyone knows the circuit very well, it is very difficult to find good settings. But, in fact, if you manage to find good settings there, it generally means that the car can be fast on other circuits too. It will be a challenge this weekend for us drivers but also for the single-seaters and the engineers, and I am looking forward to getting back to competition.»

Giampaolo Dall’Ara also believes that even though the Circuit de Catalunya is a well-known track, it nevertheless holds a few pitfalls and surprises cannot be ruled out: « The Barcelona circuit is very complete. It has all the characteristics – slow corners, medium-speed, high-speed as well as direction changes. In certain places, the track is very bumpy, and the asphalt is abrasive. Even though we know the circuit well from testing, it remains a challenge in its own right. »

One of these challenges will be managing the tires well because Pirelli has decided to bring the Soft and Hard compounds, creating a gap between the two, which had not yet been the case in 2012. We expect the Soft tires to be the best for qualifying, while the Hards should be suited for the race. The limiting factor will be wear on the front axle. However, at the same time, the track characteristics put a lot of stress on the rear tires, so the challenge will be finding the best compromise to properly set up the car.

On his side, Sergio Pérez is looking forward to returning to Barcelona, as that’s where he scored his first F1 points in 2011: I’m really looking forward to the Spanish Grand Prix and also the other upcoming European races. For me, the race held at the Circuit de Catalunya is one of the most special on the calendar. I obviously know the circuit very well thanks to GP2 and last year’s F1 race, and also thanks to the tests. That’s where I scored my first F1 points by finishing 9th.

The Circuit de Catalunya is therefore a track that suits him quite well and he hopes to score new points after the disappointment in Bahrain, where he finished 11th: « Our last race in Bahrain was very disappointing, so I hope the new aerodynamic package will work well in Barcelona. »