Ericsson insists Sauber will "stay in the fight"

Marcus Ericsson was delighted with finishing inside the top ten in yesterday's FP2 session and the Swede is confident that him and his Sauber side can produce another strong performance in Saturday's sessions and the race tomorrow.

The Sauber man finished in 14th in the first practice session of the weekend at Spa-Francorchamps and then made solid progression in the second session and secured P9.

If Ericsson was able to match that in the Qualifying later today, then it would be the Swede's first top ten start since 2015.

"It is nice to be back in the car after the summer break - especially on a track like this," Ericsson told The Checkered Flag. "The day was trouble-free for us. We went through the planned program, and the car felt good.

"We tried something different set-ups and will analyse the data tonight to decide which direction to go in for the rest of the weekend. We are competitive and confident that we will stay in the fight tomorrow and on Sunday."

Ericsson's team-mate Charles Leclerc, finished 13th in the first practice session, but like Ericsson, progressed into the top ten in the second practice session.

The Monegasque driver believes that the weekend has the potential to keep getting better for Sauber as well.

"It was a positive day for us," Leclerc said. "The car feels good and I am happy with our performance as we finished the two free practice sessions in the midfield.

"We still have some work ahead of tomorrow and will work tonight to make the step we usually do from Friday to Saturday. It is good to get back to racing after the break, and I look forward to being in the car again."