Marcus Ericsson says the success BMW enjoyed in Formula 1 a decade ago proves the potential that Sauber has in the championship.
Sauber has competed in Formula 1 since 1993 but between 2006 and 2009 was run by BMW, with the German manufacturer taking a race win and second in the Constructors’ Championship.
Sauber endured a period of financial strife a few years ago, meaning its facilities at its Hinwil factory, were under-utilised, compromising its on-track performance.
Sauber has been ramping up its recruitment in recent months as part of its long-term plan to return to Formula 1’s midfield group, and acquired title sponsorship from Alfa Romeo for 2018.
Ericsson, who has been part of Sauber since 2014, believes the operation’s previous achievements, and facilities, demonstrates what is possible in the future.
“There’s been a lot of things happening, [in the last] 12 months really, I think the shape the team is in now both financially but also the structure in the team is the strongest it’s been since I’ve been here,” he said.
“You can also start seeing that on track as well [with] the results coming, it’s all moving in the right direction.
“I still feel that there’s more to gain there, [there] are still some departments lacking some people back in the factory to be able to step it up to the next level, but the team is aware of it, and working on it to get more people.
“I think it’s all step-by-step, you cannot rush it either, I really think the potential in this team is really big.
“They’ve shown in the past when they were together with BMW how strong they can be, so I see no reason why they cannot be successful in the future.”
Ericsson believes that improvements on its aerodynamic side will be crucial if Sauber is to realise its long-term goal.
“I think all areas can be improved but I think one of the areas where the team has been struggling in the last few years, because of money and [having a] small group of people, is on the aero side,” he explained.
“We have a great wind tunnel but we haven’t had so much money to develop the aerodynamics on the car, and have had limited people in the aero department because of it.
“That’s an area we’re picking up a lot now and improving a lot; there’s still room for improvement there and we can also see on the car there’s areas we can improve our performance.
“That said, it’s not like other departments are completed or whatever, we all need to improve in different departments.”
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