Disappointing qualifying for Sauber at Silverstone

Qualifying for the British Grand Prix was disappointing for Sauber F1 Team drivers Nico Hülkenberg and Esteban Gutiérrez: While Hülkenberg qualified 15th, Gutiérrez ended up in 18th. The team will need a good strategy in order to be able to finish higher up the field.

Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber C32

Photo by: XPB Images

We are simply not quick enough. Of course, a lot can happen during the race tomorrow, and maybe a bit of English rain would help us. But I think points will be difficult, then again you should never say never.”

Esteban Gutiérrez (Q1: 1:32.666 min, P18th): “Compared to the practice sessions yesterday, I think we made a step forward, but it’s tricky because we find ourselves in a position where everything is on the limit. What ever we do there is always a compromise to it, which is challenging.

It seems I am loosing a lot of time at the exit of the corners, and this is tricky, because that is usually when I try to push and get things right.

I believe I did my best with overall good and consistent laps. But it is just not quick enough. This is something we have to evaluate and see what we can do to be better in order to progress.”

Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal: “We can’t be happy with a result like that. Nico did a good job, while Esteban was struggling. Of course, this is not the position you want to be in looking ahead to the race tomorrow. It won’t be an easy race for us.”

Tom McCullough, Head of Track Engineering: “We struggled with the car’s balance in FP3, but were able to improve it for qualifying. P15 and P18 on the grid is clearly not where we want to be and will make the race difficult tomorrow. The current forecast is dry, so we will work hard tonight on the strategy in order to maximise our chances.”

Sauber F1 Team