Marcus Ericsson believes he and Sauber team-mate Charles Leclerc need different requirements from the C37 due to their contrasting driving styles, and that a recent attitude change has aided his prospects.
Ericsson held the upper hand across the opening round of the season but a change of set-up in Azerbaijan aided Leclerc, who has since been Sauber’s stronger driver.
Ericsson managed to end his run of one-lap defeats against Leclerc at the pre-summer Grand Prix in Hungary but still trails 13-5 on points.
“Charles is managing to really find the limit in qualifying in a good way and I’m trying to feel that as well,” explained Ericsson.
“But also not only looking and try and do the same as Charles with set-up and stuff as I think we have a bit of a different way of driving, so we need some different things from the car.
“[I need to] try and focus more on my side of the garage and focus on trying to set-up the car more for my liking and that’s been the case of the last few weekends and that’s been helping and go in the right direction.”
When pressed on their respective styles, Ericsson said: “I think with Charles he really likes rotation in the car and a very strong front end, and he doesn’t mind if the rear is a bit unstable.
“Whereas I’m a bit the other way around. I’m really liking to lean on the rear of the car and especially on corner entry I like to have a strong rear so I can feel the grip through the rear axle.
“So I think that’s where we’re a bit different.
“He’s feeling the grip more through the front axle and I’m more with the rear axles.
“And with the Pirellis being quite sensitive, especially on the softer compounds, so maybe there’s something in there.
“But I’m confident that with car changes and everything we can find a way and make that work for me as well.”
When asked whether the changes meant the team had to work for one side of the garage, due to their varying driving styles, team-mate Leclerc dismissed such a notion.
“This for me I don’t really see it,” he said.
“Obviously in a team we are always working together to make the car better but not like the car is fitting… Of course sometimes it can fit better [one] driving style than the other.
“But at the beginning of the season I was the one struggling and I was the one that had to adapt my driving style to the car and not the other way around.
“We are obviously working together to make the best car possible and then with the set-ups you can change the car balance to your liking.”
