Mid-Season Recap: All change at Sauber

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With five points through the first eleven races, it’s been tough sledding for Sauber so far this season.

Owners of the smallest budget on the grid, the team was forced to settle for a 2016-spec Ferrari engine supply, while updates to their 2017 chassis – the C36 – have been few and far between. The two highlights of their season were a P8 and P10 in Barcelona and Baku respectively, but mostly the team has made headlines for what it has done off-track.

First there was there was the somewhat-controversial withdrawal of Pascal Wehrlein from the opening two races, then the announcement of a Honda engine supply for 2018, then team principal Monisha Kaltenborn’s departure and Frederic Vasseur’s subsequent hiring, and finally their doing a U-Turn on the Honda deal to renew with Ferrari. Certainly, a busy seven months.

Driver Rating

Marcus Ericsson

If this was the year Ericsson proved to be anything more than a stereotypical pay driver, he’s fast running out of time to prove it. With no points to his name, the only thing of value he’s brought to the team is considerable financial backing, although to be fair he hasn’t been a complete embarrassment, out-duelling his more highly regarded teammate on a few occasions. Regardless, the internal politicking seems to have handed him the keys to the kingdom, and maybe with an increased budget he’ll be able to get on the scoreboard.  

Rating: 5/10

Pascal Wehrlein

An inconsistent year for the German, in more ways than one. At different times struggling with both form and fitness, he hasn’t exactly distinguished himself as the heir-apparent to the Mercedes programme that funds him, but he’s still shown enough to keep the faith a while longer. Without him, Sauber would have no championship points, and his eighth in Spain was a particularly brilliant drive – if only we could see him up against a more capable teammate.

Rating: 6/10

Team Rating

The best thing you can say about Sauber’s season so far is it has met expectations. They were always up against it using year-old engines and a shoestring budget, and while there haven’t been any standout moments on-track, they’re haven’t been any real embarrassing ones either. The real action has definitely been in the boardroom, and with the move from Monisha Kaltenborn/Honda to Frederic Vasseur/Ferrari, the rest of their 2017 will be interesting if only to see what moves they make for the future.

Rating: 5/10

 

Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247