Sauber could bounce back with a strong showing in Canada according to Felipe Nasr, following a disappointing few weekends which has seen the Swiss team score just two points in three races.
The Brazilian secured eighth in Monaco to keep Sauber fifth in the championship standings, but the team hasn’t managed to keep up with its rivals in terms of development and has therefore struggled.
Nasr believes the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will suit the C34 because of its long straights which will play to their cars top speed advantage.
“It will be my first time driving on this track in Montreal,” said the 22-year-old. “It is a challenging circuit because there are some tricky chicanes, but I think I am going to enjoy driving there. In order to prepare well I will watch on-board videos.
“I am confident the many long straights could be a benefit for us as we do have a competitive straight-line speed. The track also requires good braking stability and traction.”
Sauber’s head of track engineering, Giampaolo Dall’Ara, is also confident of a better showing this weekend, but says it’s important they secure better grid positions to set them up for a competitive race.
“Although we managed to score two points at Monaco, the last two races have been rather difficult for the team,” he explained. “Our main target for Canadia is to turn this around.
“The nature of the Montreal circuit is remarkably different and we expect it to fit the C34 better: straight-line speed, braking and generally low-speed cornering performance dominate for lap time.
“It will be important to place our drivers further up the grid, and from there target to score more points.”