Sauber News - a new car and a new controversy
A solid start
By Jamie Makin (25/1/2004)
January 25 2004
With the launch of the C23 now a distance memory, team Sauber-Petronas spent the last two weeks in Spain beginning a rigorous pre-season testing programme for their new car.
The first week of testing was a private session for the team in Valencia. Work on the first day concentrated on performing a shakedown run and tests of all critical systems with Fisichella behind the wheel. The rollout went remarkably well, and the C23 suffered no diffculties or failures common to new cars. The second day saw Fisichella concentrate on setup work for the C23, while Massa tested new dampers on the C22. The C23 ran reliably again and was notably quicker than its predecessor. The final day at Valencia saw Massa take to the wheel but things did not go as smoothly as prior days. The run was halted with a fuel supply problem and windy conditions prevented Massa for putting in laps as quick as Fisichella's the prior days. Despite the last minute glitch, the week was much more trouble free than the team expected from their initial runs.
For the second week of testing, the team moved to Barcelona to join seven other teams for a four day test. Massa spend the first two days behind the wheel, and focused on setup work and tyre testing for Bridgestone. Frequent red flags on the track and some software problems with the C23 prevented him from doing the planned number of laps. When Fisichella took over for the second half of the test, he had to spend more time than planned working on car setup. It has become clear that the team's drivers have greatly different driving styles and setup preferences, and it is going to take some extra work to determine what works best for each driver. Fisichella's runs were again plagued by a fuel supply problem and additional software and electronics problems. He did conduct a race distance and engine reliability test, which went well. The team now knows the weaknesses of the new car, and can work on sorting them out before the first race.
Sauber have put two Petronas 04A engines through full race weekend distance tests now with no failures at all. This bodes well for the team because the new one-engine rule will penalize drivers ten grid positions for an engine change. Most other teams have not been as fortunate with their new engines, with rivals BAR having an exceptionally high number of failures. Although being quicker than the C22, the C23's laptimes have still not rivaled those of the top teams, but they are very competitive compared to the other mid-field contenders. Sauber will continue testing on the C23 next week in Valencia.
Off track a new controversy is brewing over Sauber's C23. Some teams and paddock insiders are claiming it is more identical to the Ferrari F2003-GA than permitted by the Concorde Agreement. Team boss, Peter Sauber disagrees. "The Sauber C23 was designed and manufactured at our Hinwil base," he told Autosport magazine. "All cars are permanently evolving and teams look at what others do. There are lots of similarities throughout the paddock." The FIA has reviewed the work on the C23 throughout the design and manufacturing process, and admits there are enough differences from the F2003-GA to make it legal. Undoubtedly, the other teams will be keeping a close eye on the new Sauber, but it is unlikely that any will file an official protest to the FIA. The new Ferrari will be launched in Valencia tomorrow, which will shed more light on the similarities planned for this year's contenders.
In the wake of this dispute, Sauber and Ferrari are negotiating one more possibility that will strenthen ties between them. Sauber has wavered on their decision about running a third car during Friday practice. Initially, they said they would run some of the sessions, but recently retracted that decision and said they would not run the third car at all. There was no money for the estimated $5 million budget required for it and Sauber did not see enough potential benefit to justify it. Ferrari, who will not be able to run a third car because of their championship standing, do see a benefit in having Sauber run the third car. Teams will have to make their decision on tyre compound for Friday and must get in all the running possible without putting excess mileage on their engines. Running a third Sauber would help both teams make this critical decision. For this reason, Ferrari has stepped in and offered to pay for their test driver, Luca Badoer, to drive the third Sauber. Badoer would be an ideal candidate because he has four years of testing experience for Ferrari and Bridgestone, and has not competed in a grand prix since 1999 making him eligible to be the third driver.