Sauber has Mercedes in its sights
Buoyed by a strong start to the season, the Sauber team is in 6th place in the constructors' championship, just 25 points behind Mercedes, which is in 5th place. Peter Sauber, the head of the eponymous team, stated that the goal for his men should be to beat the Silver Arrows.
After two years without a podium finish, in 2010 and 2011, the Sauber team managed to get back on the “box” this year, thanks to Sergio Pérez, in Malaysia and Canada. This is mainly due to a well-designed Sauber C31 that seems comfortable on most circuits.
Pérez and Kamui Kobayashi were able to demonstrate this by regularly finishing in the top 10, sometimes scoring big points, and with the uncertainty of this season, the hierarchy is somewhat shaken up, giving wings to the Swiss team. They are only 25 points behind the Mercedes team – 105 points for the greys compared to 80 for Sauber, and despite the size and resources difference between the two teams, Sauber’s goal is simple: to beat Mercedes or try to do so.
This is what Peter Sauber, the team boss, told the Swiss daily Blick: « It doesn’t matter who is ahead in the championship (constructors). We are on the lookout for this rival. Our objective must be to attack the team that is ahead of us – and at the moment, that’s Mercedes! »
The Sauber team scored 44 points in 2010, which allowed them to finish in 8th place in the constructors’ championship. In 2011, the Swiss team scored the same number of points, but finished in 7th place, so the goal for this season is to do better. Mission accomplished so far with 80 points and 6th place, but Mercedes’ proximity whets Peter Sauber’s appetite, even though he knows competing with Mercedes won’t be easy: « We remain realistic and know that Mercedes is a big challenge for a small private team. »
