Nasr admits second season with Sauber was "challenging"

Felipe Nasr has called his second season with Sauber "challenging," especially in the context of his impressive rookie year with the Swiss team in 2015.

Marcus Ericsson, Sauber F1 Team, Felipe Nasr, Sauber F1 Team

The Brazilian finished 13th in the standings in his rookie season, scoring 27 points for the Swiss squad.

This season, however, Nasr's only score was his ninth place in his home race in Brazil.

Nasr has yet to confirm his plans for 2017.

"In one word, it's been a challenging year," Nasr told Motorsport.com. "I think when you have a car when you know what you can fight for, it makes everything easier. Races flow much easier.

"I think I've seen the two sides of the coin – my first year, my debut in F1, was fantastic, a year when I could take a lot of the opportunities I had, and really show a lot.

"The second year was a much more challenging year, taking into account that the resources in the team were really small. Things only got better at halfway in the season.

"Even saying that there were a lot of highlights there where I could still show a lot of potential, like Austria when we were running in the top 10, or if you take qualifying in Budapest, or you take the race at Silverstone.

"And in Baku, which was a new track for everybody, we had a fantastic race."

Nasr says that his Interlagos result, which allowed Sauber to overtake Manor in the championship, showed what he is capable of.

"Brazil was the most extreme conditions out there, so it was not a question of luck, it was not a question of things helping us, but it was a fact that on merit we did it, and I was there to take those two points.

"We know how much those two points are worth, and as a driver I feel that in these two years I did a lot when the opportunity came."