Singapore: During the first two practice sessions for the Singapore Grand Prix both Sauber F1 Team drivers evaluated modified aerodynamic parts. The first analysis is positive. Apart from that, it was a usual Friday evaluating the set-up and balance of the car and comparing the supersoft and the medium tyre compounds, which showed quite a difference. Qualifying will be particularly important in Singapore, as overtaking during the race is tricky on a tight street circuit like this. The drivers and engineers will now focus on finding the right set-up on low fuel in order to qualify well. The team is convinced the Sauber C32 has not yet reached its full potential.

Nico Hülkenberg said after the practice ession, “During FP1 we struggled a bit with the set-up of the car and couldn’t really find a good rhythm. This afternoon was much better. I felt a lot more confident in the car. However, there is still room for improvement, especially on the option tyre. I think we can find quite a bit more in the lap time. Overall it was quite interesting that the harder tyre was quite weak for me during the long run, and the option performed a lot better. In that regard we still have a lot of work ahead of us.”

Esteban Gutiérrez said: “It was an okay Friday. We managed to get in some good laps and we were able to get through some things that we were planning to do in order to improve qualifying. My experience is improving, but I need to work on certain things. We worked on the set-up of the car. The long runs look okay. There is a lot of thermal degradation on the tyres, which will be quite a challenge during the race. This is something we need to look into to try to find the right compromise for qualifying and a good race pace. Overall the car feels good, but we need to keep working on looking to qualifying tomorrow.”