Month: February 2016

The late arrival of the C35 meant the Swiss team had to re-adjust their preparations. The late amendment to the Formula 1 world championship was also a factor.

Sauber’s technical director Mark Smith has commented that not debuting the C35 until the second test would “not hurt us too much”.

Speaking ahead of the roll out of the new car, which will take place in the Circuit de Catalunya pitlane on March 1, Kaltenborn said: “We want to clearly improve.”

“Obviously, there’s a certain position we’d like to achieve.

“But, to start with, it’s important to become established in midfield.

“Only then are we going to focus on individual positions.”

Felipe Nasr has previously acknowledged the threat of newcomer Haas and admits it will be tricky to know where Sauber will rank among their rivals.

“It’s difficult for me to predict how the positions behind the top teams are going to pan out this season – and where we’ll be able to line up in that part of the field,” he said.

“The whole team has been working very hard to explore areas in the car that we can improve. That’s why I’m confident that we’ve made progress.”

Team-mate Marcus Ericsson added: “The battle for positions is getting fiercer.

“But I’m convinced that, with the new car, we’re going to take a step forward so that we can finish in the points with greater consistency and under our own steam.

“Last year we managed a good start. In the second half of the season it was a harder struggle for us to score points.

“This season I’d like to see us being in contention for points and fighting on a level where speed is decisive.”

As for the livery, the blue and yellow colour scheme remains unchanged from the previous season but it’s very uninspiring. Hopefully the Ferrari-powered C35 is competitive and can fight with the other midfield teams in the upcoming championship despite the bland paint job.

Manor Racing unveiled their 2016 racing car, the MRT05, on the first official day of pre-season Formula 1 testing at the Circuit de Catalunya.

The team have even described the MRT05 as this is the best it has ever produced, thanks to a technical partnership with Mercedes and Williams.

Considered to the most powerful engine on the grid, the Mercedes power unit will aid performance for Manor Racing. In addition, the Williams engineered transmission and other key components is expected to bring the team much closer to competitiveness after six seasons adrift in the midfield pack.

Manor technical director John McQuilliam said the team was confident of a massive step forward in 2016.

“Even at this early stage of the game, we can easily say this is the best car we’ve ever launched,” he said.

“Certainly the most developed, the most ambitious and the most aggressive.

“The overall package is a very significant step forward, not just from last year, but from any of the cars from our stable.

“Yes, we have a long way to go from here in terms of developing the MRT05, but it’s already a dream package for the 154 Manor Racing people who’ve worked so hard to design and build it.”

Manor’s new racing director Dave Ryan, who arrived after the exits of founders John Booth and Graeme Lowdon last year, said he had been impressed by what he had seen at the team so far.

“It’s been a very busy time, but it has really served to underline everything I thought when I first agreed to join the team – a great little operation, with huge potential and the vision and ambition to make a big step forward,” Ryan said.

“The team did a laudable job last year given its circumstances over the previous winter.

“This year, with the package we have, we need to be every inch the professional racing outfit.”

Manor Racing only just made it to the start of the 2015 campaign after being rescued from administration on the eve of the season, and used a modified 2014 car for the year.

It has an all-rookie driver line-up in DTM champion Pascal Wehrlein and GP2 race winner Rio Haryanto.