Testing Reveals Fundamental Flaw in C24

The C24
By Jamie Makin
February 6 2005

The slow pace of team SAUBER PETRONAS in last week's test at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain were initially blamed on cold weather and the inability to find a proper setup for the new C24 challenger.

Now it appears that the situation may be worse than it initially appeared. The team fears there is a "fundamental design flaw" in the C24 chassis which is causing the car to lack grip at the rear. The team is hard at work on new aerodynamic and suspension compontents aimed at remedying this flaw. They will test at Jerez this week from Tuesday through Thursday and will be up against Ferrari, BAR, Renault, Williams, McLaren and Toyota who will also be present. This should paint a clearer picture of how the C24 stands up to the competition on sheer pace.

We all recall the struggles the team faced in 2003 with the C22 when it took until mid-season to realise their rented wind tunnel was improperly calibrated. Let us hope that it does not take nearly so long to identify and correct the C24's problems.

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