Friday: the new parts satisfy the Sauber drivers

Kamui Kobayashi – 17th, then 9th

« We had a really interesting day. In the morning, I was very busy testing the exhausts and evaluating the new aerodynamic parts. I couldn’t set a good time because I had to make a stop after a sensor gave us some bad information. The new super-hard components from Pirelli give you the feeling of driving a totally different car. They are so slow. It’s going to be difficult for everyone and might give some interesting strategies in the race. »

Sergio Perez – 5th, then 11th

« It is a very positive day for us. We were learning a lot about our aero developments and the new hard tire compound. Since they are really slow compared to the soft tires, you naturally want to use them as much as you can during the race. We need to analyze a lot of data now, and we want to make sure we can improve our performance in qualifying tomorrow and have good positions on the grid. »

James Key

« It was a really busy day for the team with many parts to evaluate, but it was positive and the team really did a good job. During FP1, we ran a new aero package on both cars, and Kamui was using new exhausts, which made it really an aero test session for him. We obtained important and very interesting data, but we are not yet sure if we are already able to run with it.

Otherwise, the rest of our package works pretty well. There were no major issues, we’ve seen a general improvement in grip, and the drivers were satisfied with the balance they felt with the new parts.

We have also worked on the mechanical improvements we made in Turkey, pushing them a bit further here. The new parts have given us a positive result. The pace seems good, but it is clear that it is very tight and we are not at 100% with the car’s balance. It’s quite hot, and we need to adapt the car to these conditions to achieve a better balance, especially with the new tires. Now, we have to work tonight to make the most of it tomorrow.