GreenBkk.com Formula 1 | Sauber aiming to bounce back

Sauber aiming to bounce back

Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez were disqualified from eighth and seventh in Australia © Sutton Images

Sauber drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez are aiming to make up for the disappointment of being disqualified in Australia by scoring points in Malaysia.

Both C30s were stripped of their points after the FIA found that the rear wings failed to conform to its strict regulations. Sauber insists the breach made no difference to the performance of the car and the drivers, who finished seventh and eighth on the road at Albert Park, are expecting to be back in the points next weekend at Sepang.

"Of course I'm very motivated and looking forward to what will be my second Formula One race," Perez said. "I think we have a good car. It is quick enough to aim for points and it was reliable. I hope we can keep this consistency and do more good races.

"Now after I have my debut grand prix weekend behind me I know a lot better what to expect in qualifying and the race, and this gives me even more confidence. I know the Sepang circuit from a GP2 Asia race in 2009. It is physically very demanding and also quite technical. Because the circuit is long it is difficult to get a lap right there."

Kobayashi said the intense heat of Malaysia and the demanding track layout would likely result in more pit stops after he opted for a two-stop strategy in Australia and Perez worked miracles on a one-stopper.

"After our good performance in Melbourne we are, of course, very motivated for the next race," Kobayashi said. "The guaranteed higher temperatures in Malaysia, though, will make a big difference. I especially expect the tyre degradation to be significantly higher there, so this might result in different race strategies.

"Another challenge could be if we get a wet race, as this happens quite often in Malaysia. But we are now very confident about our performance after what we did in Melbourne. I hope we can continue like that with our pace. The circuit is nice with a couple of high speed corners, and the layout offers more overtaking opportunities than we had in Albert Park."

Credit: ESPN F1 (en.espnf1.com)