The Sauber F1 team headed to Hungary on the back of the news that Longbow Finance, a Swiss based organisation, had acquired ownership of the team, essentially securing their future in F1.
Despite the good news, race day itself was not ideal as Marcus Ericsson started in the pit lane after his Q1 crash resulted in a chassis change and Felipe Nasr (who had briefly been P1 in Q1) found himself stuck in traffic on a circuit that is notoriously difficult to pass at.
MARCUS ERICSSON
Finished P20 – 3 Stop Strategy
The Swedish driver suffered his second crash in succession at a Grand Prix weekend, after the damp conditions in Q1 saw him crash into the advertising hoardings. Starting in the pits, he hoped to be able to move up the field quickly in his characteristic style.
He however found himself stuck behind Rio Haryanto in the early stages which put pay to his alternative strategy. Buoyed by a large contingent of Swedish fans, he improved in the middle stint but tyre degradation forced a stop closer to the end of the race which saw him hold station in 20th place.
FELIPE NASR
Finished P17 – 2 Stop Strategy
Nasr briefly ran in P1 during the first qualifying session in wet conditions on Saturday and had hoped to be able to fight for points on Sunday, which got off to a positive start after he gained a place on the first lap.
The nature of the Budapest circuit however tripped up the Sauber driver as the traffic and the limited overtaking opportunities prevented the Brazilian star from climbing up the order. He remains upbeat and believes that the team can improve step by step.
Team Principal Monisha Kaltenborn is understandably not satisfied with the result but remains positive given the fact that the much needed finance has been secured which will inevitably lead to the necessary development on the car.
It has been an historical week for the team as the legendary Peter Sauber has stepped down as owner of the team, leaving it in the hands of Kaltenborn and the new backers. Sauber have formed a part of the fabric of F1 and the mid-season break after Germany should bring with it a renewal of that spirit.