Sauber: “What happened is unacceptable”

The clash between Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr at the Monaco Grand Prix goes badly for Sauber F1 Team. The stable ofHinwil, already in financial difficulty and lacking results, is struggling to get its first points of the season.

The blame seems shared between the two drivers, Felipe Nasr having refused to obey team instructions while Marcus Ericsson attempted an aggressive maneuver to gain the advantage over the Brazilian.

Sauber F1 Team has published an open letter to its supporters to provide an update on the situation.

“As a team, we understand your frustration. It was disappointing to say the least to see our two cars in pieces at Rascasse. There was a lot of criticism between Felipe and Marcus fans and a lot of questions regarding team guidelines”, established the Swiss structure.

“What happened is unacceptable. Commentators from the German channel RTL summed it up as follows: the accident was Marcus's fault because he attempted a risky maneuver but the responsibility fell to Felipe because he should have listened to his team and not closed the door on his teammate. »

“Many of you said that the guidelines were not a good thing for the sport and that we should let our drivers compete. We agree and try to let them do it most of the time, but it's imperative to think bigger and ask what's best for the team. »

“Some of you don't understand why we gave instructions for 15th and 16th place. Each position gained brings us closer to the points. Even without scoring any, the best place achieved in the race can help us maintain (10th) place in the Manufacturers' Championship (against Manor)... Remember when instructions were given in codes and the spectators had no idea what was happening. We now prefer open communications. »

“We have spoken with Marcus and Felipe and we all agree that this must never happen again…”