Sauber's young driver pairing Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez say their focus in 2011 will be staying consistent and avoiding mistakes.
Having signed GP2 graduate Perez to join Kobayashi – who only has 21 grands prix to his name – Sauber goes into the new season with one of the least experienced driver lineups on the grid. But Kobayashi feels he has improved a great deal during 2010 and can now deliver his best form more consistently.
"My rookie season is now behind me," he said as Sauber unveiled its new car at Valencia this morning. "I learned a lot, gained a lot of self-confidence, and my target for 2011 is not to make any mistakes."
Kobayashi was 12th in the championship last year, earning praise for charging drives in Valencia and at Suzuka, and taking a season-best of sixth place in Britain. Perez said his plan for his rookie campaign was to learn steadily and judge his progress against Kobayashi's pace.
"I'm aware how challenging Formula 1 is from both a driver's point of view and technically," said the Mexican. "I've got a lot to learn, and in Kamui I have an excellent yardstick.
"My personal goal is to make steady progress. Consistency is important, not only to me but to the team as a whole. The support I'm getting back in my home country is huge, and I don't want to disappoint anyone."