Sauber struggling with C29 over bumps
Date published : 12 Mar 2010 - 16:00:27
Pedro de la Rosa admits Sauber has yet to find a good enough set-up to deal with the bumpy and dusty Sakhir track surface following the opening day of practice.
The Hinwil-based team has been tipped as a potential surprise package at the season-opener this weekend after its Ferrari-powered C29 showed consistent long-run pace and low tyre-wear in testing.
And although de la Rosa and team-mate Kamui Kobayashi ended Friday in solid 10th and 11th positions on the timesheet respectively, Sauber's veteran driver is far from happy with the car's handling over the lengthened circuit.
Well, it was not easy, de la Rosa, competing in F1 practice for the first time since 2006, said of the two sessions.
We managed to make the car feel better during the day, but we definitely need to improve the set-up for tomorrow as much as we can.
The overall grip level is very low out there and the new part is really bumpy.
One bump especially before turn seven I find dangerous because the cars are bottoming there a lot.
Kobayashi suffered a disrupted start to his day when his C29 picked up a puncture when he ran over some debris, the delay meaning the Japanese completed just 11 laps in the first session.
However, the 27 trouble-free laps he racked up in the afternoon allowed him to catch up with its planned programme - enough mileage for him to come to the conclusion that his car is not yet at ease through the new twisty infield loop.
After we lost some track time this morning because of a puncture, we were able to complete our programme in the afternoon.
We now have to look at the set-up again. I have the impression the bumpy new infield is pretty difficult for us, but we will work on that.
I have no complaints about the heat either, as I definitely prefer it compared to the winter in Europe.
Technical director Willy Rampf said the team spent the whole day working on longer-run simulations with both cars in order to ensure it is ready for what is set to be a gruelling 49-lap race on Sunday.
We mainly concentrated on race preparation today, so consequently we were running on a high fuel load for most of the time, he said.
We want to be sure to find a set-up which is acceptable for the race distance. We will work on the qualifying set-up tomorrow.
It's the first time this year we are running in climate conditions like this, so we still have a lot of work to do.
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