Formula 1: Anger and disappointment at Sauber

D he was not the expected restart for the Sauber team: 'It was a bitter disappointment because we don't actually know any mechanical failures,' explained team boss Peter Sauber after the botched race weekend in Bahrain. 'I shouldn't even think about if that would have happened, if we had been on a points spot.'

At least nothing countable was lost in the double failure of Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi. A hydraulic leak in both cars led to the abandonment, each with a different cause. The type of defect, however, also surprised technical director Willy Rampf. 'We haven't had it in ages, that the entire hydraulic system has collapsed,' explained the engineer.

Clean simply too slow

But even without the problems with reliability, Bahrain would not have been a good weekend for the newly formed team from Hinwil. In practice, you just couldn't find the right set-up for the 6.299 kilometer route. 'It can happen that you overgrown. It has also happened to big players that you can't find the right set-up', Peter Sauber tried to apologize.

'Our problem was the second section of the track with the bumps and the also offered less grip than expected. Unfortunately, that makes up half the lap time, 'said Rampf, specifying the problem. Nobody blames the drivers: 'That was definitely not because of the drivers. They gave really good feedback. Looking for something there would be wrong.'

Hope for Melbourne

The Swiss troops do not want to overestimate the result. Because of a bad weekend, there is still no panic. Sauber: 'In May it will be 40 years since I had the company. You get used to something like that. We are looking forward. The world is not collapsing, but the trouble is there.'

After the good ones The team had already toured winter tests with points. Rampf admits that it was hoped to make it into the top ten with at least one car. But the wish remained unfulfilled. What remains is the look ahead: 'Australia is a route that suits us better. The vehicle is good when it comes to braking stability.'