Nico Hulkenberg says the Sauber C32 is a good starting point for the season ahead after driving it for two days.
“Had quite a large test programme already which we completed successful and two very productive days,” he told media at Jerez.
“It’s something we can build on, I think a good baseline. It needs further development, further work, we now know. In Formula One you cannot stop.”
Asked if he thought the car was quick Hulkenberg said: “I think so, yeah. At this point I can’t see a big issue.
“It looked quite… at some point I was looking at the timing monitor, it looked like qualifying already. It was like separated by only a few hundredths. We should be happy with the two days, car performed reasonably well and, like I said, something to build on.”
Hulkenberg switched teams and engine suppliers over the winter, and offered a comparison of the Ferrari V8 he has now with the Mercedes he used last year:
“The characteristics are a little bit different. The Mercedes is maybe a little bit stronger top-end, therefore the Ferrari is a bit strong in the mid-range power.”
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Magnificent Geoffrey (@magnificent-geoffrey)
6th February 2013, 18:15
I’ve very encouraged by his encouraged..ness.
Would be fantastic to see the Hülk and the team build on their success from 2012 and fight for podiums even more frequently. Maybe even a win too…
William Brierty
6th February 2013, 19:03
I’m gonna put a sneaky bet on Hulkenberg to win the Belgian GP.
Ilanin (@ilanin)
6th February 2013, 19:11
Belgian? Everything we’ve seen from his results so far suggests Hulkenberg is a Brazil specialist.
Enigma (@enigma)
6th February 2013, 19:49
@ilanin I think it’s more about wet tracks – think China 2010 qualy, his pole, last year’s qualies in Silverstone and Hockenheim, and the last race. He seems to be pretty special in the wet.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
6th February 2013, 21:04
I’d say Brazil would obviously be a likely candidate, as would any wet weekends and of course the high-speed tracks (which seem to historically suit Sauber’s cars). So if the cars’ quick and Hulkenberg is fortunate then he could very well win in Belgium or Brazil or any of the tracks/races that fall under the conditions I have said above.
Fixy (@)
6th February 2013, 20:26
I like Nico as a driver, and as a person as well. He appears as very self-confident but with his feet on the ground, and he is concentrated towards always improving.
If the C32 is as good as last year at the start of the season I think they can immediately challenge for points. If the other teams beat Sauber in the development race then podiums will become harder to score, but at the same time Nico will have more confidence with the car and the team and will be more ready to take an opportunity should it present.
In conclusion I think an year similar to 2012 is ahead of Sauber, if not that Gutierrez is a rookie and will probably struggle at the start of the season.
Deepak (@ideepak)
6th February 2013, 19:04
I dont understand how the engines vary in power through a range. If the regulations are the same, why the variance ?
Beto (@chebeto0)
6th February 2013, 19:51
Hmm I don’t know exactly how to explain this, but it’s not like the regulations state how every part of the engine should be, if they did, they would be doing the job of the engineers. Within the regulations every manufaturer builds its own engine, but many things like the injection or ignition system can make a big difference in the performance at different operation speeds.
DM0407 (@dm0407)
6th February 2013, 19:16
The guidelines are not THAT stringent, much like a Red Bull can be so much different from a Ferrari even though they are looking at the same rule book. Two engine manufacturers may find different solutions to the same problem.
BasCB (@bascb)
7th February 2013, 7:22
Yesterday I read that Hulk also complimented the cars handling at high speed, now we hear a little bit about the engine. Its lovely to get this kind of little bits of information from the drivers.
I do hope that Sauber managed to get the car as good a basis as last year, it would certainly be good to see them on the podium regularly this year or even have another go at winning a few races.