Sauber were the surprise of pre-season testing, with much of that potential carrying through to the opening four races of the season, but it might not remain that way according to Felipe Nasr.
The Brazilian reckons Sauber’s impressive pace, which has seen them score 19 points which currently sees them fifth in the standings, will drop off as those around them improve.
“Barcelona will be a big turning point for the teams as most of them will evolve their cars,” he told Globo.
“I don’t know if we will be as close to the points places as we were in the first races [as a result of their upgrades],” he admitted.
“It will be a great test for us to know where we’ll be, but realistically, we knew that things would get more difficult during the year.”
The Swiss team won’t however be resting on its laurels and will be bringing some upgrades of its own according to Nasr.
“The improvements from Sauber will be mainly on the aerodynamic side,” he explained.
“We had a new front wing in China, but unfortunately it did not work as we expected. So it is being redone for Barcelona and we hope to get something out of it.”