'Difficult' diet gave Marcus Ericsson 2018 boost
- Published on 11 Apr 2018 12:06
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- By: Rob Veenstra
Marcus Ericsson says losing weight over the winter helped him end his F1 points drought. Bahrain was the Swede's 78th grand prix, but it also almost marked the 50th race in a row in which Ericsson failed to score points.
Told by Blick newspaper that he had ended the nightmare run just in time, 27-year-old Ericsson said: "Exactly." Ericsson told Finland's Ilta Sanomat newspaper that his performance boost came after he lost weight over the winter.
"I dropped 5 kilograms," he revealed. "It meant no carbs, no desserts, no alcohol. It was difficult, but it was worth it and has made a big difference. 10kg less is 3-4 tenths per lap," Ericsson added.
Sauber's result means the Swiss team is now placed eighth in the championship, ahead of both Force India and dead-last Williams. Boss Frederic Vasseur said the team still needs to improve in qualifying. "But you can't race better than Ericsson did," said the Frenchman. "Very strong, very consistent and reliable."
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Replies (10)
Login to replyKyalamiKid
Posts: 146
Sure, his diet caused DNF's for Ric, Ver and Rai ... Had they finished he would have been 12th, commendable, but no points.
juju_hound
Posts: 180
If if if.. but he did it well and congrats for a fantastic race
Bhurt
Posts: 320
Way to miss the point. The point likely was that without all of his hard work and dedication, he might not have gotten 9th (or 12th by your math).
Kean
Posts: 692
Yeah, that is true. But he still would have beaten 8 other drivers... In a Sauber, when it is arguably the 2nd slowest car on the grid only ahead of the Williams.
UncleElias
Posts: 5
@Kean Poor Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Toro Rosso and Renault performances in the past years made Williams finish higher and seem better than they were. Ericsson has always gotten preferential treatment at Sauber and has only been on par at best. I'd be cautious and skeptical before accepting that he's turned a corner and improved his driving ability. He's not horrible, but I want to see him consistently finish better than the rookie Leclerc.
Orchide
Posts: 82
@UncleElias Please link to any reliable source stating Ericsson was/is getting diffrent treatment. That is just a rumour started by a german journalist, who is a huge WEH fan.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Either way, it was a strong performance.
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
I was very happy for Ericsson, in spite of the luck that accompanied his race, he delivered a solid performance. That being said, the whole thing about the weight was an exaggeration. I think he should give himself more credit.
f1ski
Posts: 726
racing 30% preparation 30% skill 40% luck
RogerF1
Posts: 501
Good performance for sure, horse jockeys do it. Every kilo saved will make a (small) difference. Disappointed in the article, thought it was going to mention change of diet gave him more wind which they used to boost engine performance.