Sauber may struggle at Barcelona, warns Rampf

Sauber may struggle in next weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix despite a strong showing at Imola last time out, according to technical director Willy Rampf.

The Swiss team returned to form at Imola, with Jacques Villeneuve scoring his first points of a difficult season and Felipe Massa clocking quick lap times but ultimately suffering from a starting penalty.

However, Rampf has warned that apparent improvement may not translate to faster lap times at other circuits.

He said: “It’s true that we’ve made considerable strides, but Imola is a special circuit. What’s more, we were one of the few teams that tested at Imola prior to the season and therefore had a good basic set-up. That certainly helped.

“I think we’ll have a clearer picture after the race at Barcelona. But in any event, the hierarchy in Formula One seems to be returning to normal again, after it had got mixed up quite a bit in the first races.”