Vasseur hails Sauber's "huge" step forward

Sauber's team principal Frederic Vasseur says that the team has made a huge step forward since the beginning of the season. The Swiss outfit entered the 2018 campaign coming off the back of two difficult years, where it scored just seven points in 41 races.

However, the Hinwil-based squad has raced many more laps inside the top ten this year, and has racked up 18 points in the opening 12 races. With many predicting a difficult year following pre-season testing, Vasseur believes his team is now on the way back up.

“Yes, I think we are on a good path,” he said. “If you compare with the beginning of the season and the first part of the season - not only Melbourne - but I think we improved a lot, more than 1.5 percent compared to the front of the field. It’s a huge step forward for us now.

“But I know perfectly that the more you move forward the more the steps are difficult. It’s good to have expectation because it’s the best way to put some pressure on the team to put some pressure on the guys, on the drivers - and this is the key point for the team.”

2019 will see a shake-up in the aerodynamic regulations, with the main change being simpler front wings with fewer elements. Vasseur thinks that Sauber has a big opportunity to make gains on the mid-field pack next year rather than in the remainder of the 2018 season.

"If all the other teams are continuing to push and develop it will be more and more difficult but we also know that the big gain for us will be more next year than this year," he said.

“Honestly, if we finish the championship eighth, ninth or seventh, it’s not a huge difference. There’s a huge change to the regulation next year, we have a great opportunity and we have to consider this as a real challenge,” Vasseur added.