The best F1 car in 2012?
2012-08-22 11:22
BEST CAR ON THE GRID?: Sauber has proved it can take on top teams in 2012 though the team has missed many opportunities to score points.
Sauber's 80 points so far in 2012 belies the true strength of the Swiss-made C31.
In fact, Red Bull manager Helmut Marko claims the single seater steered by Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi is "perhaps the best car in the field" in 2012.
However, the Ferrari-powered car has been on the podium only twice in 2012, which has attracted criticism of the young driver duo.
LOST POINTS
McLaren's Jenson Button said: "It's not Perez who is the 'tyre whisperer', it's the car. If I was to drive my car as he drives his, then our tyres would wear out very quickly."
Peter Sauber recently described Sauber's 2012 season so far as a "rollercoaster ride", although he did not specifically criticise Perez or Kobayashi.
He said: "We have a very fast car that works very well on almost every circuit. We have the speed to win.
"We could have scored a lot more points."
With nine races to go, Hinwil-based Sauber is ranked sixth of the 12 teams in the constructors' championship.