It’s not a secret Sauber had to deal with all kinds of problems this year, financial and technical but it is also certainly clear that we are talking about a team that has shown incredible potential in the past and is completely capable of bouncing back. Recent news of a buyout finally gave the team a break financially speaking and also solves the mystery to backers and possible future backers so it really was a big break.
At the USGP, Monisha Kaltenborn (Sauber Team Principal) explained one key part of the future of the Team technically speaking now that the financial part is sound and they can concentrate on bringing out the best of their package. Major changes are cooking in all the Team factories for 2017, predominantly on the aerodynamics and chassis that are going to be introduced with the sole objective of giving the cars more down force and wider bodies along with wider tires that, according to estimates, will improve the cars’ lap times at an average of 6 seconds, or more! The power plant and energy recovery systems will remain unchanged from this year’s regulations and that’s where Sauber is playing their card… development in F1 is all about timing and the actual time you have before the introduction of a part, and you can’t design a good package if you don’t have the engine so instead of waiting for the 2017 engine from Ferrari, they are already developing their car with the 2016 engine which they know, is not lacking much power at all and is race tested, makes sense doesn’t it?
Of course all teams take a step forward with new developed engines and components but with the regulations staying the same for the last two years, there isn’t much more they can extract from their current machinery and having the option of working a few weeks earlier with the current power package they can focus on where the real gain would be for next year, the chassis and aerodynamics…
So it is the humble opinion of this journalist that Sauber will definitely be a team to watch from the beginning of the next season, they could be a step ahead and it will take a while for the other teams to catch up if their package doesn’t bring the results they expect. Don’t forget you can comment and give us your opinion…
