Ericsson confident Sauber can stay competitive

Marcus Ericsson believes that Sauber can stay competitive throughout the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. The Swiss outfit performed well on the opening day at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, with both cars finishing inside the top ten in FP2. 

Ericsson's best lap time was a 1:45.537, a tenth faster than his rookie teammate Charles Leclerc. So far this year, the team has racked up 18 points and currently sit in eighth place in the constructor's standings. And Ericsson is hoping that he and the team can add more to their tally on Sunday.

“It is nice to be back in the car after the summer break – especially on a track like this," he said. "The day was trouble-free for us. We went through the planned program, and the car felt good. We tried some different set-ups and will analyse the data tonight to decide which direction to go in for the rest of the weekend. We are competitive and confident that we will stay in the fight tomorrow and on Sunday.”

Leclerc was also happy with his day of running. The Monegasque driver arrives in Belgium amid speculative rumours surrounding his future. Despite having a smooth day of driving, Leclerc says there is still work to do to make sure they don't lose pace overnight.

“It was a positive day for us. The car feels good and I am happy with our performance as we finished the two free practice sessions in the midfield. We still have some work ahead of tomorrow, and will work tonight to make the step we usually do from Friday to Saturday. It is good to get back to racing after the break, and I look forward to being in the car again.”