29/02/2016
NEWS STORY
Whilst the rollout of the Sauber C35 will take place tomorrow ahead of the second winter test, the Swiss team this morning issued details of its 2016 contender.
For Sauber2016 marks the 24th season in Formula One. After Ferrari, Williams and McLaren, the Hinwil squad is the fourth-oldest team among the currently existing names.
In 2016 the team will again be fielding drivers Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr.
Team principal Monisha Kaltenborn's aims can initially be put in a nutshell: "We want to clearly improve." The team principal goes on to explain: "Obviously, there's a certain position we'd like to achieve. But, to start with, it's important to become established in mid-field. Only then are we going to focus on individual positions."
With respect to the drivers, Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr, Kaltenborn says: "Both delivered a good, first season for us. Speaking for Marcus and Felipe is the fact that they made only few mistakes. And that they learnt from these mistakes. Now they'll have to show how they're going to keep working on their skills following the experience they've gained."
"The battle for positions is getting fiercer," admitted Ericsson. "But I'm convinced that, with the new car, we're going to take a step forward so that we can finish in the points with greater consistency and under our own steam. Last year we managed a good start. In the second half of the season it was a harder struggle for us to score points. This season I'd like to see us being in contention for points and fighting on a level where speed is decisive. I know that everyone at the factory in Hinwil is working very hard in this direction."
"It's difficult for me to predict how the positions behind the top teams are going to pan out this season," admitted Nasr, "and where we'll be able to line up in that part of the field. We're going to put innovations on the grid, but so are our competitors, and their efficiency remains to be seen. It's hardly possible to make any predictions under these circumstances. The whole team has been working very hard to explore areas in the car that we can improve. That's why I'm confident that we've made progress. The season will show what positions we'll be able to achieve with it."
Technical Director Mark Smith joined the team in July 2015 with the mission of coming up with a different approach. With only a few changes in the regulations for 2016, the C35 is based on three key facts: a slightly different aerodynamic philosophy, adapting to changes within the power unit architecture as well as weight reduction.
"For the development of the Sauber C35-Ferrari, we slightly changed the philosophy of how we developed the car aerodynamically. It sounds little, but the impact on the development of the car is significant," says Smith. "When looking at the Sauber C35, it is very much an evolution."