Sauber became the fifth team to unveil their 2013 Formula One charger on Saturday, revealing a car they hope will take them into the top five.
Unlike other releases, the C32 does display some visible bodywork alterations. Spurned on by Sergio Perez’s Monaco crash from 2011, designer Matt Morris has incorporated narrower sidepods into the design.
Morris has also updated the braking system, while his team eye up the potential of the passive DRS. Beyond that, the Ferrari-powered team have once again delivered what looks to be a tidy machine, but they may need something more than tidy to break the manufacturer hold at the top.
In 2013, Sauber have two new drivers in Nico Hulkenberg – fresh from a year with Force India – and Mexican new boy Esteban Gutierrez.
Hulkenberg – a former A1GP and GP2 Series champion – has been very impressive in his two seasons in Formula One {note 1}, with the German pilot registering a best finish of 4th in Belgium. Poor judgement in damp conditions cost Hulkenberg the chance of victory at Interlagos at the tail end of last season; however he does appear to be showing signs of a driver improving with each event.
After two seasons in the GP2 Series, Gutierrez has made the jump to the top category; however his rise did not come easily.
Numerous mistakes peppered his two years in GP2 and while Gutierrez would eventually pick up four victories with the Lotus-Art squad, he was regularly shown up by teammates Jules Bianchi and James Calado.
But… Gutierrez is bloody good and with the right people, he could prove to be the season’s star package.
Sauber took four podiums last year, including a near victory in Malaysia. With some stability in the regulations, it is not inconceivable that they may repeat that success, if not improve on it.
As for the Ferrari link, according to Kaltenborn that is still on the cards beyond 2012: “For us, we have had a partnership with Ferrari for more than 10 years, so that’s the natural link for us to go, but they also have difficulties, because nothing has been clarified down to the last detail.
”It’s extremely challenging, and a fear we have as a private team is to make sure we don’t have any disadvantage compared to the manufacturer teams. It comes down to finding the engine, knowing the technical details of it and knowing what impact it has on our design.”
Key personnel:
Team Principal: Monisha Kaltenborn
Chief Designer: Matt Morris
Operations Director: Axel Kruse
Head of Aerodynamics: Willem Toet
Team Manager: Beat Zehnder
Marketing Director: Alex Sauber
{note 1}
Hulkenberg debuted with Williams in 2010, before losing his seat to the rather monied Pastor Maldonado.
