Sauber introduces crucial developments in Singapore
After many Grand Prix races without the slightest evolution, the C34 will finally benefit from substantial aerodynamic improvements for the Singapore weekend, most of which will also be used for the following season.
Following convincing winter tests and a first race in Australia marked by a spectacular double finish in the points (including the 5th place of rookie Felipe Nasr), Sauber subsequently lost considerable ground. Although the C34 had a good start, it hardly developed further due to the budget constraints that continue to plague the Swiss team.
For Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson, a long wait is coming to an end this weekend: their car will indeed receive significant upgrades at the Singapore Grand Prix. The C34 will be fitted with a new nose and a new front wing. Monisha Kaltenborn, the team principal, shared a cautious optimism with Autosport: “The chassis evolution doesn’t seem bad. What we are bringing will be very important and will also work for next year’s car.”
With these developments, Sauber is already thinking about next year, which will be the first endeavor of the new technical director, Mark Smith. The C35 should therefore be distinctly different from its predecessor, as can be inferred from Monisha Kaltenborn’s statements: *We have a lot in mind for 2016 and are trying to partly change our way of designing the car. (…) It takes some time to get to this point, but I think we have reached a threshold where we have brought something like another concept, and I think it will be evident on next year’s car.*
Sauber could therefore fully battle in the pack this weekend. Compared to the 2014 season, when the Swiss team, for the first time in its history, scored no points, the progress is in any case already substantial: “Before the start of the season, we were at a point where it was difficult to do worse. So it wasn’t hard to set our goal. We knew that we could make up a large part of our deficit and that the whole package had to be more competitive, and it has been. We also knew it would be difficult to do as well this season after the first few races: that’s why we focused our developments this season. If you are limited in terms of developments, you can’t bring something new to every race. So we focused on the start of the season, and we knew the next development would come later.”
With 25 points on the board, Sauber is in 8th place in the constructors’ standings, behind Toro Rosso but ahead of McLaren. It is therefore important to secure this position in order to receive additional revenue from the FOM.
