Sauber eye consistency

After impressing at the beginning of 2011, Sauber's results got worse as last season progressed with rivals continuing to develop their cars as their own efforts dried up.

The Swiss team just managed to hang onto seventh place in the Constructors' Championship but Sauber feels they can improve by spreading the development of the C31 throughout the year.

The new chassis was given its debut at Jerez last week and although it experienced a number of reliability problems, Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez also presented a lot of positive feedback.

"2011 was divided into two very different parts. We had a good first half and a difficult second one," Sauber told the official Formula One website.

"This year we will have to allot our development resources in a way that will help us improve over the whole course of the season and help us keep and defend our position."

He added: "This season we want to have the same start as last year but we want to keep that level of performance throughout the whole season. If we are able to do that then the final count will look more pleasant."

Praise

Sauber also praised Kobayashi, who has admitted that the 2011 campaign was a steep learning curve for him after being given the role of team leader so early in his career.

"Kamui had a very good first half of the season with considerable results but couldn't carry that momentum into the second half," he added.

"But it would be wrong to put all the blame on him, as the performance of the car was nowhere near what it had been in the first few months. When it got towards the end of the season and we were defending our position from Toro Rosso, Kamui was right there again and proved he could be depended on."