Ericsson says Sauber will be 'unpredictable' in 2018
Ericsson says Sauber will be 'unpredictable' in 2018
Sauber driver Marcus Ericsson believes that the performance of the team will improve in 2018 from 2017 due to the fact that they are now competing with the latest-specification of Ferrari engines, but believes there will be an 'unpredictable' element to their campaign.
Last year, Sauber only notched up five points over the course of the campaign and finished tenth in the constructor rankings. A good portion of the blame for the poor performance has been attributed to their older-spec Ferrari engines.
However, 2018 seems like a more promising season as they now have the latest technology from the Prancing Horse, as well as a new commercial partnership with Alfa Romeo. Ericsson has revealed that the atmosphere in the Sauber camp is a positive one.
"I think it's a big leap to have the same engine as the Cavallino," Ericsson told Motorsport this week.
"The team have a lot of confidence and a desire to do well. I got to see the car in a computer rendering and it seems very beautiful – it should be an important step forward.
"Alfa Romeo's partnership means the return of a historic brand to F1. It is one more reason to believe that Ferrari will give us maximum support to grow. I'm confident."
Ericsson went on to claim that he views Sauber's main competitors for the season as Toro Rosso and Haas, and thinks the competition will be 'unpredictable' on the track.
"We're up against Haas and Toro Rosso," he continued. "I think next season will be very unpredictable in some races.
"It could go very well and at points we could also challenge Renault and Force India. But there will be other races where there will be problems and we will be further down.
"The goal is simply to get into the group of teams that are in the midfield – but it is clear that there will be a very open battle grand prix after grand prix.
"I want to be in the best shape possible to find the satisfaction that was missing in 2017."
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 2025 Driver Lineup: Big names on the move as half the grid reshuffles for next season
- 6 minutes ago
Haas announce Hulkenberg EXIT as F1 star's new team confirmed
- Today 11:27
F1 champion claims Drive to Survive success was 'very lucky'
- 3 hours ago
F1 franchise welcomes return of INCREDIBLE feature
- Today 12:59
F1 News Today: Red Bull star set to QUIT team as F1 driver role CONFIRMED for 2025
- Today 12:38
F1 team set to axe BOTH star drivers
- Today 12:05
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860