26/07/2012
NEWS STORY
Mat Coch writes:
Sauber is looking for an evolution to close the gap on the leading teams. The team believes that its best chance of becoming a front runner is to take stock of the positives from its current car and build on the weaknesses heading in to the 2013 season.
"There are no drastic changes for next year so I think there is no need to do everything again," said Monisha Kaltenborn. "We had last year's car where we knew it was a good basis but we also knew the weaknesses so I think it was important where you set out a strategy where you understand your car.
"Often engineers do not even though they have a tremendous amount of data."
Understanding last year's car has been the secret to Sauber's success this season, an approach which has witnessed a number of strong results in what is the team's most successful season since 2008 when it was under BMW ownership. It's a formula that is set to remain in place for 2013.
Before then however the team cannot afford to rest on its laurels. Podium places in Malaysia and Canada have served the team well in the constructors' race, as did last weekend's Germany Grand Prix, but with such an unpredictable season Kaltenborn isn't allowing the team to relax.
"We know that this year all the teams are so close together and it really doesn't take more than one or two races and you find yourself somewhere very different," she said.
"You never know who's going to have the lucky one at the race weekend and before you know it the guys get a podium, you win a race, and you bag a lot of points," she continued. "It looks a lot but because you don't know what's going to happen at the next race you really cannot anticipate if it means you're comfortable or not - which is exciting in a way, but terrifying also."
While the team may be enjoying something of a renaissance this year the season could have gone better, Kaltenborn admitted. "What we need to do is get our act together on the weekend and make sure that here at the track we don't make mistakes. We need to make sure no mistakes are made.
"We have to be critical of ourselves," she continued, "there were instances where we did indeed make mistakes. That's what we need to work on."
Kaltenborn also took the opportunity to rubbish rumours linking the team with Volkswagen. "We were asked about a meeting and we confirmed that that meeting took place at the AutoSalon in Geneva, and that is it," she said. "We are definitely not talking to VW."
Currently, Sauber lies sixth in the Constructors' Championship, thirty-three points clear of Williams while trailing Mercedes by twenty-five. In 2011 the team managed just forty-four points all season on its way to seventh in the championship.