Formula 1: Sauber F1 Team produces as planned
Sauber announced on the team's own website that it would be using last year's C34 car for the first Formula 1 tests from February 22 to 25 in Barcelona. What was subsequently dubbed in the media as a "false start," a "delay" or even a "worry" is actually just about keeping to the original production schedule. "The situation rather goes back to the fact that the Australia date [...].
"The situation rather goes back to the fact that the Australia date was brought forward by two weeks. When it became clear that Melbourne would take place 14 days earlier than originally planned, we said to ourselves - we'll stick to the original production schedule," said Robert Höpoldseder, Sauber's head of communications.
Do not waste resources
The team makes a point of not wasting unnecessary resources. "We prefer to leave ourselves enough time. When you're building a new car, you're always under pressure on all fronts. To take another two weeks away would have put an unnecessary burden on ourselves. It's no secret that we're not set up like a top team. So we're sticking to the first plan," emphasized Höpoldseder.
Although they had imagined a different start to the 2016 season, the team is convinced that the late debut is not a disadvantage. "We saw from the example of Force India last year that it is possible to show a good season even if it was not possible to use the car in the first test," Höpoldseder told speedweek.com.
Sauber driver Marcus Ericsson explained that there is still plenty to do at the first test: "We can still get some things done at the first test, such as collecting tire data or testing some new parts and vehicle setups."
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Photo: Sauber F1 Team
