Bumpy track to blame says Sauber
The bumpy Interlagos circuit has been blamed for causing wing failures to both Saubers at last weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix, according to the Swiss team
Mika Salo suffered a rear wing failure in free practice, while team-mate Pedro Diniz was hit by a similar problem during qualifying.
The team chose to withdraw both cars from Sunday's race on safety grounds.
Further investigations by Sauber showed that as a result of the Interlagos bumps, both cars were exposed to severe impact loads.
A statement issued by the Swiss outfit said: "The construction of the wings, and the combination of materials used, is different to last year's successful C18 design, but we are satisfied that the surface characteristics were directly responsible for the failures.
"Sauber has always placed the highest priority on safety, and in Brazil this meant not just the safety of Mika and Pedro, but that of their fellow drivers.
"We simply could not risk running the cars without knowing precisely why the wings failed."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments