The technical director of Stake F1 speaks about the changes of an “almost new” race car for 2024
The Stake F1 Team has presented its new race car for the 2024 season, dressed in fluorescent green, which will be recognizable on the grid. They have also unveiled some technical specifications of their car, and their technical director, James Key, has discussed these changes.
The team, still led by Sauber, who will compete in the 2024 Formula 1 season under the full name Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, is entering a new era after seeing its Italian sponsor Alfa Romeo leave.
During the presentation ceremony, the Swiss team declared that the C44 was a clear evolution compared to its predecessor, and that a series of changes have been introduced. According to the team, the car also features a redesigned aggressive aerodynamic package. The Hinwill-based team also outlines changes to the side pods and engine cover, which, according to them, push the existing concepts to new extremes.
A completely new floor would also have been installed on the monoplace, in a key area to generate aerodynamic downforce. The team adds that some important updates will be made to the car during the early races.
The C44 is practically a completely new car.
The technical director James Key, who returned to the Swiss team last September after stints at Toro Rosso and McLaren, added: “It’s always great to see a new car being unveiled. The C44 project was already underway before I joined the team, so I have to give credit to the team, who did a fantastic job. There is a superb team in Hinwil, with a positive work atmosphere and everyone is eager to make progress.”
Obviously, designing and building a car like the C44 is not the work of a single person: it is an extremely complex project, especially in our times, with the regulations we have, he continued. The key really lies in managing this process, with the hundreds of people who have worked hard to develop the car, design it, and ultimately build it, he concluded.
« The C44 is practically an entirely new car, with a few areas kept at the back of the car. The team had to take an ambitious direction long before I joined it: there are many mechanical changes, some of which you cannot see at all, but some are very visible. »
The front suspension is completely new, a challenging and ambitious project for a team our size. There are also numerous aerodynamic changes, as one would expect since it is always the main area of development, he said.
So, overall, the car will really look quite different from last year’s. We have taken many exciting new directions, all seems to have a good potential, so we are eager to see them on the track, concluded the technical director of Stake F1.
The C44 will take to the track for the first time this Friday, February 9th, for a shakedown in Barcelona. The team will then travel to Bahrain for three days of preseason testing before the start of the championship on the same circuit.
