Marcus Ericsson says there is no point for Sauber to be “feeling sorry” for itself over using year-old power units this season, as it attempts to alleviate the deficit with an aggressive update plan.
Sauber is the only team on the grid to be equipped with last year’s power unit specification, supplied by Ferrari, meaning it is already at a disadvantage, a deficiency likely to grow as rivals receive engine updates across the course of the campaign.
Sauber will bring a major update to next weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, with several new aero parts, a revised floor, a revised front wing and new rear wing, as it bids to offset the power loss.
“It’s not what we want, but that’s what it is,” said Ericsson of the power deficit.
“It’s a fact [that] there’ll be certain tracks where we’ll struggle more and [others where] the engine is a bit less important.
“So we need to keep our spirit high and work hard and develop the car during the season like we have planned.
“We have a very aggressive development plan on the car and the aero side that we need to follow, and try and make steps there, so when we come to tracks where we think we can mix it up in the midfield we need to do it.
“I think that feeling sorry that we have old power units is not going to help us.”
Sauber will switch to using current-year Honda power units in 2018, ending its lengthy relationship with Ferrari, and Ericsson reckons the move is a positive direction for the Swiss squad, despite the Japanese manufacturer's current struggles.
“I think for the team it’s good step,” he commented.
“Obviously looking at it now it doesn’t look so good as Honda is having big problems.
“But I think for longer term it’s the right decision for the team and I think there is potential there, but let’s see [about] this season first.”
Sauber has yet to score a point this season but sits above McLaren in the standings on results countback.
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