Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Kamui Kobayashi says Sauber's Chinese Grand Prix qualifying result not totally unexpected by team

Kamui Kobayashi has admitted that Sauber's performance in China this weekend has been more than expected - but he does not think it is a total surprise

The Japanese driver secured third place on the grid for the race at Shanghai and, with the Sauber known to be good on its tyres while doubts remain about the long-run pace of the Mercedes duo ahead of him, he could be in with a shout of a decent result.

Speaking to AUTOSPORT about the performance, Kobayashi said: "For this week so far we have been quite positive. We are confident to qualify - so not surprised - but it was more than we expected with the final position. It is a great feeling and the guys did a great job so this is great for myself and the team."

Kobayashi reiterated that he was not dreaming of a victory charge at Shanghai, and reckoned it would even take a bit of luck for him to hold on to third place in the race.

"I think probably our car is better than we expected, but we never know. We cannot expect to be this far up and we have to look and see 100 per cent performance from the car.

"Victory for sure we are not thinking about, but if we are lucky we can get a podium, but you never know. Shanghai is something special, so we see on Sunday."

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Mark Webber doubts Red Bull will run different exhaust packages on each car again after China
Next article Michael Schumacher's resurgence is 'great for Formula 1', reckons Mercedes boss Ross Brawn

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe