Analysing the resurgence of Sauber F1 team

A team that showed a lot promise in the early 90s, till late 2000s and even last year has hit a slump this season.

A clear indicator of Sauber-Ferrari F1 team’s performance dip can be seen if their last year’s stats are compared with this season.

The team had scored 116 points before they headed for Korea in 2012 as compared to just 19 this season as the team gets ready for Yeongam.

With no significant change in the rules and car setup, the Swiss team had been struggling for most part of the season with an uncompetitive car as its distinctive narrow side pods lead to rear-end instability in the C32.

Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal Sauber F1 team, is more than happy to see a resurgence by her team in the second half of the season

But off-late there seems to be a resurgence from the fourth oldest team in the paddock. Their star driver Nico Hulkenberg has had a couple of good performances in Italy and Singapore with a season best fifth in Monza after qualifying third and even rookie Esteban Gutiérrez has shown signs of recovery from the slump much to the delight of team principal Monisha Kaltenborn.

Here’s a take on what could be the reasons for the recovery of the team that was staring down the barrel due to a financial crisis in July this year.

Russian funding – The Turbo boost

Sauber F1 Team was bailed out from their financial woes by Russian investors

After a lot rumours that surrounded the teams financial woes, Sauber finally got a breather and a much needed boost when it got the funding from a trio of Russian investors.

But the funding had its clauses with a major one being that Sergey Sirotkin, son Olgey Sirotkin-one of the investors in the deal, would get a drive with Sauber for the 2014 season.

Even though Sirotkin lacked experience and yet to get out of his teens, Sauber had no choice but to agree to save itself from the horror of contemplating an exit from the sport.

The collaboration was also extended to technical partnership and driver development as a comprehensive showcase for Russia in motorsport.

The move came along with the Sochi circuit being proposed to hold the inaugural Russian GP next year, with both the moves expected to give Formula One an entry into previously unexplored Russia.

The deal meant that Sauber got some cash to spend and restart their development on the C32(especially on aerodynamics) and get some focus back on the current season.

Tyre Changes

As some of the teams struggled with the mid-season tyre changes, Sauber F1 team gained substantially from the new Pirelli compounds

A major reason for the Swiss team’s turnaround is the mid-season tyre changes brought around by Pirelli after the tyre fiasco in Silverstone.

The team had scored just 7 points before the tyre changes (Australia–Great Britain) and raced to 12 points after Pirelli brought in the revised tyres (Germany-Singapore).

This was largely due to a revival from a fast degrading rear tyres that had bothered the Sauber during the first half of the season. The second half saw both the Sauber preserving their tyres more so during the race.

The ‘Hulk’ makes a comeback

Nico Hulkenberg showed glimpses of his brilliance as he qualified third and finished fifth in in Italy

Nico Hulkenberg, one of the rising stars of Formula One, has started to feel good about the Sauber C32 again after a good start to the season that saw him finish 8th in Malaysia.

His car though struggled in the races that followed with a retirement in Canada and a single point that came in the tyre-disaster stricken race at Silverstone. But there was more to follow. He qualified 12th and 11th in Belgium and Hungary though was unable to score any points in both the races.

But the real surprise came in Italy as he stormed his way to third in qualifying and finished a brilliant 5th to get the best result for the season. In Singapore too he got among the points as he finished 9th.

South Korea also presents a good opportunity for him and his team as he managed to qualify in 8th with his teammate Esteban Gutiérrez in 9th for the race on Sunday.

The Sauber team would be hoping that they are able to continue their form till the end of the season and carry it into the 2014 season.