Sauber can't switch to 2017 Ferrari Formula 1 engine

The Swiss team elected to run a year-old specification engine in the hope of capitalising on a well understood platform to score early points in the campaign.

But indications from pre-season testing and the Australian Grand Prix suggest that things may be harder than Sauber anticipated thanks to the progress that has been made with the 2017 engines.

When asked if the team could fit the 2017 engine later in the season, team principal Monisha Kaltenborn said: "No. That, we knew."

She clarified that the change in dimensions of the 2017 Ferrari engine mean it cannot be fitted into the current Sauber car.

Kaltenborn wants to see more from the relative engine performance at different tracks before judging exactly how Sauber's engine compares.

"It's far too early to say because Australia is definitely not a representative track," she added.

"We need to wait a couple of races, and then we'll see how big it [the gap] really is."

Kaltenborn did concede, however, that she had been expecting a better start to the campaign.

"We hoped we were a bit better, because we've been following some new concepts," she said.

"Of course others started [work on the 2017 rules] earlier, they have understood after the tests where they need to do a few changes.

"We need to develop that now, and we have a development plan in place.

"We have bits and pieces coming [for the Chinese GP], and then we have an intense testing programme in Bahrain.

"We are planning a bigger package in Barcelona and then we'll take it from there."