Sauber F1 Reveals 2018 Driver Lineup and New Livery
Charles Leclerc (left) and Marcus Ericsson
The Sauber F1 Team has finally announced its driver lineup for the 2018 Formula One Championship: Marcus Ericsson will remain while Pascal Wehrlein will be replaced by reigning Formula 2 champion Charles Leclerc. Antonio Giovinazzi, who had been gunning for Ericsson’s seat, will stay on as a reserve driver.
The lineup was announced at a special press event in Milan, Italy, where the team also unveiled the new red-and-white Alfa Romeo livery for next season’s car, in light of their new sponsorship deal.
Leclerc is one of the up-and-coming talents of formula racing. Having won the GP3 title last year, the young Monegasque stormed to victory in the Formula 2 championship in 2017, making such an impression at each race that it wasn’t long before everyone expected him to get an F1 seat for 2018.
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Ericsson will continue in F1 for his fifth season and his fourth at Sauber as arguably one of the least talented drivers on the grid—but one who brings in considerable funding to the small team via his sponsors.
That leaves Wehrlein without a seat for 2018 unless he managed to slip himself into the much coveted Williams seat, though more and more the signs point toward Robert Kubica having closed that deal. In a better world he would still be racing in F1 instead of one of the (admittedly few) drivers whose money speak louder than their skill behind the wheel of a racing car.
Sauber may even ultimately regret choosing Ericsson over Giovinazzi or Wehrlein if it finds that next year, with a new Ferrari engine in its two cars, the team has a chance to score points every weekend with the right driver lineup.
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News Source: Sauber F1 Team
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