Fisichella shines again
The Sauber squad went beyond its own expectations with a sixth-place finish at the Nurburgring today (Sunday). A two-stop strategy for Giancarlo Fisichella meant that the Swiss team was able to notch up a second straight points finish after Felipe Massa's fifth at Monaco last week.
"I never believed that sixth was possible," said Fisichella, who started from the back after a qualifying engine change. "The car was fantastic today, the balance and behaviour were impeccable. I made a good start, our strategy was perfect, and we did a great job as a team. The C23 is improving with every race, so we will keep getting better and better."
"Our race went exactly as we planned," added technical director Willi Rampf. "Starting at the back we gave Giancarlo a high fuel load for a long first stint, and because the Bridgestone tyres were so consistent today we were able to execute our chosen strategy."
After a slow start to the season, things are picking up for Sauber. The team is still fifth in the constructors' championship, fully five points ahead of McLaren-Mercedes in sixth. The only downside to its weekend was that Massa had a very slow getaway and then damaged his front wing amongst the tail-enders, which spoiled any chance of points for the Brazilian.
Share Or Save This Story
On this day: Raikkonen’s Suzuka masterclass
Ranking the top 10 Benetton F1 drivers
Friday favourite: Renault's original F1 title-winner that began the Alonso era
DTM Red Bull Ring: Engel ends Mercedes' win drought with dominant charge
Marquez admits he 'doesn't have the pace to fight for MotoGP title' after Spanish GP crash
WRC Canary Islands: Ogier claims first win of 2026 after Solberg crashes out
MotoGP Spanish GP: Alex Marquez ends Aprilia's dominance with victory as Marc Marquez crashes out
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