Sauber’s opening half of the 2018 Formula 1 season has been “incredible”, according to Marcus Ericsson, amid the team’s return to the midfield pecking order.
Ericsson joined Sauber at the end of 2014 and was part of the team that struggled through 2016/17, amid initial financial issues, a lacklustre car, and the switch to a year-old engine.
Sauber spent much of 2017 marooned at the rear of the field and scored just five points, courtesy of Pascal Wehrlein, as Ericsson failed to reach the top ten.
Sauber took on current-year Ferrari power units for 2018 and signed a title sponsorship agreement with Alfa Romeo, under the stewardship of then newly-appointed team boss Frederic Vasseur.
Sauber has scored 18 points across seven Grands Prix to hold ninth in the standings, with Ericsson’s team-mate Charles Leclerc having made Q3 on three occasions.
"To be honest our first half of the season as a team has been incredible,” said Ericsson. “I think looking at where we were the last two years, to this first half, is better than we could have dreamed about. So that’s really good.
“And then me personally to have a few points finishes and some good performances has been good. You always want more of course, but I think it’s been a decent first half for me as well.
“I think my race performances this year have been very strong. On Sundays pretty much it’s been really good. Of course there’s been some mistakes, like Silverstone, but in general on Sundays I’ve been pretty good.”
Ericsson emphasised that improving his one-lap performances remain his target, realising that a better grid position provides him a better platform from which to score points.
Ericsson was out-qualified by Leclerc from China through to Germany, qualifying on average five positions behind his rookie team-mate.
"On Saturdays I have some room for improvement, let’s put it that way,” he said. “For some reason on one lap I’m struggling with that feeling on the car.
“I’m super confident with the car on high fuel and like in race runs and preserving the tyres and all these things, I’m really really confident there, and feel that’s one of my strengths.
“But for some reason on one lap I’m just struggling to find the sweet spot with the car we have at the moment.
“Which is a bit strange because the last few years I’ve felt like I’ve improved that quite a bit, and compared to Pascal and Felipe [Nasr] I was as good or even better in qualifying to them two, who are two very good drivers.
“So I don’t really know why I’ve been struggling so much this year.”
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