Sauber drivers looking forward to the long straights of the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve

After the two European races in Barcelona and Monaco, the Sauber F1 Team is once again going to a have longer trip to the Canadian Grand Prix, which will take place from the 5th to 7th June on the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve at Montreal’s Notre Dame Island.

Marcus Ericsson (car number 9): “I am looking forward to the Canadian Grand Prix. I like the track, it is a combination of a street and permanent circuit. It is a traditional race with a lot of history and I will enjoy to race there. Montreal is one of the tracks that should suits our car better mainly because of the long straights. As we do have a high top speed, it could be positive for us. Besides the engine power, braking stability as well as a good change of direction will be important. The many long straights also make overtaking easier on this track. Due to the track characteristics, I think our performance should be stronger in Montreal.”

Felipe Nasr (car number 12): “It will be my first time driving on this track in Montreal. It is a challenging circuit because there are some tricky chicanes, but I think I am going to enjoy driving there. In order to prepare well I will watch on-board videos. I am confident the many long straights could be a benefit for us as we do have a competitive straight-line speed. The track also requires good braking stability and traction.”

Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering: “Although we managed to score two points at Monaco, the last two races have been rather difficult for the Sauber F1 team. Our main target for the Canadian grand prix is to turn this around. The nature of the Montreal circuit is remarkably different and we expect it to fit the C34 better: straight-line speed, braking and generally low-speed cornering performance dominate for lap time. Depending on the weather, at times rainy, the track allows to alter the aerodynamic configuration of the car trading off downforce for drag reduction. We will have again the soft and supersoft tyres. It will be important to place our drivers further up the grid, and from there target to score more points.”

Sauber F1 Team