An unexpected result for Sauber and Wehrlein

Unlike 2016, Clean F1 Team will not have waited for the penultimate race of the season to score its first points in 2017. Certainly benefiting from the racing circumstances with the retirements of Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari), Max Verstappen (Red Bull) at the first turn, then Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) later during the Grand Prix, the rookie pascal wehrlein won four units which will be important at the end of the year.

With a one-stop strategy, the German struggled for a long time with the Renault de Nico Hulkenberg, before crossing the finish line in seventh position. But a 5″ penalty on his race time for not having respected the pit lane entry cone dropped Wehrlein to eighth place. An unexpected result, however.

“It was a very good race for me today, indicates the former champion DTM. I'm really happy that the car's performance was there, and the one-stop strategy worked perfectly until the end of the race. We did not expect such a result after the tests. It’s a great feeling to finish this race surprisingly in the points. »

New developments in Monaco

Like all the teams in Barcelona, ​​Sauber F1 Team had introduced new features on its C36, with the arrival of a new rear wing, modified brake ducts, and the presence of new elements on the front wing. The training ofHinwil must, however, make new aerodynamic improvements from the next meeting in Monaco (May 28).

“I hope that these new updates to the car will also help us progress in Monaco and that we will be able to repeat these results. » concludes Wehrlein. And potentially allow Sauber to maintain its position ahead McLaren in the Manufacturers' ranking, the last team not yet to have opened its points counter in 2017.

Discover the full report and analysis of the Spanish Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondents in Catalonia, in issue 2114 of AUTOhebdo, available this evening in digital version, and this Wednesday on newsstands.