Marcus Ericsson received a drive through penalty at the Australian Grand Prix for an issue during the red flag stoppage. This didn’t really influence his race results much, as he retired his Sauber car on lap 39.
The penalty came as the teams were preparing to go racing again after the red flag stoppage for the accident involving Esteban Gutiérrez and Fernando Alonso on lap 17. The issue was caused by a team mechanic that had some issues removing the tyre warmer from the tyre, preventing them from leaving the car before the FIA’s required time. Teams are not allowed to work on the race car when race control gives the 15 second warning when the race is resuming after a red flag.
Marcus Ericsson explains the issue and discusses his day:
“It was not a good day. When the race was interrupted, I had an issue with one tyre warmer on the pit lane. It could not be removed as quickly as usual, so I got a drive through penalty for that. After the race resumed, I felt that something was wrong with the left rear tyre, so I went back to the garage. Sometimes these things can happen. We will look into it to be in a better shape for the next race weekend in Bahrain.”
Ericsson served his drive through penalty, but retired the car on lap 39. The cause of the retirement was some vibrations from the left rear tyre, although Sauber has not confirmed the exact cause of these vibrations.
The race pace was not visible in Sauber’s new C35. The team was late in car development, missing the first pre-season test in Barcelona because the car was not ready. Sauber’s other driver, Felipe Nasr, did not have a very good day either. He later told the press, “We have to improve the C35 in different areas. I think we have a lot of work ahead of us.”
Weekend Summary: 2016 Australian Grand Prix
Sauber C35 To Miss Test
