Sauber boss Monisha Kaltenborn says the team's vital result at the Brazilian Grand Prix proved it is moving in the right direction.
Felipe Nasr finished ninth in Brazil for a valuable two points, moving Sauber above Manor for tenth position in the multi-million dollar battle for 10th in the championship. Manor had occupied that position since Pascal Wehrlein snatched a point at the Austrian Grand Prix in July.
Sauber has undergone some radical changes since being acquired by Longbow Finance before the summer break, with the recent signing of technical chief Jorg Zander one of a number of personnel additions in recent months. Kaltenborn thinks the Brazil result proves those changes are having the right impact on the team.
"We know there's one more race, a lot can happen so there's no need to take it that easy [in Abu Dhabi]," Kaltenborn told Sky Sports. "Yes this is a very important race for us, it proves the direction we are going is right and sometimes you just needed that little bit of luck as well.
"We did everything right, the driver did a fantastic job, the team was right in their decisions and then we had that little bit of luck as well and managed to get these points."
It proved to be a nervy race for Sauber, with Felipe Nasr sat as high as sixth early in the race, with both Manor drivers also lower down in the points at the time of the final race stoppage. Eventually Nasr did what he needed to claim a result he later claimed was "like a victory" for the team.
Kaltenborn admits it made for a nervy afternoon on the pit wall. "[It was] very tense because you never knew what was going to happen and we didn't want to get involved in anything. For us it was just hanging on in there, being there, and making sure that if anything comes or happens, we are in that race. Manor was taking exactly that kind of approach and they were not far behind. There was pressure from all sides."