Sauber have had a difficult start to 2010, with four mechanical failures from six starts and zero points on the board.
From the next race at China new technical director James Key will be in charge of the team. Can he turn their fortunes around?
Having lost the backing of BMW at the end of last year Sauber have had to cut their workforce as team principal Peter Sauber explains:
We’re experiencing a new beginning as a team and are in the process of adapting from a works outfit to an independent team. We’ve cut our budget by 40 per cent and reduced the workforce by a third. That’s a massive cutback. However, this economisation process is something all the other established teams still have ahead of them as a result of the restrictions imposed by FOTA.
What we have to do now is move away from the previous modus operandi and put new methods in place that will maximise efficiency. This applies not only to technical development, but also to the way we operate as a team – for example, how the engineers work with our two new drivers. That’s something that needs time to bed in. James Key will have a wide variety of tasks. As an organisation, everything is in place to get us back to our former strength.
Peter Sauber
Key spent the last 13 years with Force India and their predecessors and Sauber believes Key has vital experience of running a lean operation which doesn’t have the resources of the big teams:
I was impressed by what Force India had achieved in recent times on a tight budget, and James Key played a major role in getting them to where they are today. For me it was also important to appoint a Technical Director with a track record of getting the most out of limited resources.
Peter Sauber
But Key’s immediate priority is to get to grips with the C29, which is yet to trouble the front-runners at a race weekend.
The car ran quite reliably in testing but problems seem to be creeping in on race weekends. At Sepang Pedro de la Rosa failed to make it to the grid to start his race.
At Melbourne Kamui Kobayashi suffered a failed front wing support during practice shortly after having a nose change.
China is the last of the flyaway races before F1 returns to Europe. Many teams will be bringing significant aerodynamic performance upgrades and Sauber face a challenge to maintain their pace of development, with limited resources, while also solving their reliability problems. How do you think they will fare?
Read more: James Key joins BMW Sauber
Giuseppe
8th April 2010, 9:24
One thing ive noticed as a fan of F1 over the years is that good results take time to come. Even RedBull took a couple of years under Newey to start fighting for the championship.
Sadly this will also apply to Sauber. I don’t see them at the front of the grid anytime soon
F2Fanatic
8th April 2010, 13:34
What about Brawn GP? Although you could argue that they spent their time waiting in the BAR/Honda days.
Al
8th April 2010, 14:15
Brawn GP used a car that was extensively developed by the former Honda team – all they had to do was get it to the track
macahan
8th April 2010, 15:58
In addition rumors claim Honda spent close to 500 million in developing the car that BrawnGP ran. One thing that strikes me also with Brawn was they where way a head to everyone but RedBull at the start of the season but lost steam mid season when RedBull edge a head and McLaren caught up. I believe they didn’t have the funding or something to develop enough to stay a head of the other teams. This year they fallen behind somewhat or you could say the others might have out developed them possibly because they had more funding. Last year Brawn ran big parts without to much sponsor ship on the car.
sato113
8th April 2010, 16:09
lets say honda carried on into 2009 and won both champs, do you reckon they would have made that 500 million back and more? I doubt it.
George
8th April 2010, 17:59
Brawn changed priority to 2010 midseason last year, whereas Red Bull went all out for the championship I believe.
If it’s true then it’s quite funny Red Bull still managed to make a better car this year (although the Merc takeover might have had some impact I suppose).
Gilvan
8th April 2010, 21:44
It was just as well that Brawn GP started the year well, I always thought the bigger teams would catch up in terms of development as the year went on, they have so much more resources.
Just one thing macahan, when you say “One thing that strikes me also with Brawn was they where way a head to everyone” I think you meant WERE (verb, past simple of be) and not WHERE (adverb/conjunction for place). Also ahead, as in front of, is spelt ahead and not a head, same goes for sponsorship. Just thought I would mention it, sorry I am being pedantic, I just can’t help it.
The Genuine Jim
8th April 2010, 9:59
Key is a talented chap, but these things take time. There was a delay for the Newey and Brawn effects to kick in at their respective teams, it will be no different for Sauber. They might have gone down a developmental cul-de-sac with this year’s car and be stuck towards the back of the grid for the rest of the season. But either way, there is no magic wand that can be waved. I’d certainly love for Sauber to get back to their glory days of the upper-midfield.
macahan
8th April 2010, 16:14
absolutely.
Brawn came in to Honda in 08 and it was a horrible year, with his help they built the championship winning car for 09. I don’t expect to see Sauber to manage much this year very similar as Honda didn’t in 08. Next year if they still are in F1 I believe Keys could bring them majorly forward but not this year assuming the funding is there to make it happen.
Brawn managed this in short time due to massive funding.
Newey joined RBR in 06, but the breakthrough didn’t happen until 09, they did a step forward in 07 and fell back some in 08. James Key been with Spyker that then became Force India. Force India took over for the 08 season and in 09 they moved up but not been until this year they really started to be competitive.
So consider the past history for Brawn, Red Bull and Force India it might be as long as 2 years before James Key can bring Sauber to a competitive level with some gain for next year.
Felix
8th April 2010, 10:43
I wonder whether he is.. the Key To Success?
YEEEAAAAHHHHH!!
wasiF1
8th April 2010, 11:38
He may be the success.
“Having lost the backing of BMW at the end of last year Sauber have had to cut their workforce”
Then why still they are called BMW Sauber?
Sandman
8th April 2010, 12:43
It was finance issue. BMW got 6th constructor last season, which grants them some cash influx. If Sauber changed team name, they wouldnt get the money.
wasiF1
9th April 2010, 1:57
@ Sandman
I agree with you but how can Mercedes can change there name from Brawn & can still get their money which they earned in 2009?
Ferrero
9th April 2010, 7:40
Mercedes could do that because they changed the name early. BMW Sauber could not apply to change their name until after the closing date, which meant they would have to sacrifice the money (something they could not afford to do!)
Peter Sauber has stated repeatedly they will change the name as soon as practically possible.
The Genuine Jim
8th April 2010, 14:00
Don’t worry Felix I got it!
Boom boom!
Felix
8th April 2010, 14:23
I blame the lack of shades.
Al
8th April 2010, 14:16
Let’s hope they can lock in some good results
Karan
8th April 2010, 14:37
You forgot to put on your sunglasses :P
Enigma
8th April 2010, 15:32
Haha! Good one Felix. =)
Nixon
8th April 2010, 10:46
The problem in Formula 1 is that you have to have a lot of money to make a good car, and Sauber just dont have that.
Scribe
8th April 2010, 11:15
Well the best way to look at it in my opinion is to consider how well Williams have recvouvered from loosing BMW. An Williams BMW where a race winning title chalenging team.
BMW Sauber where an outside challenge for 1 title, with 1 win. An williams still haven’t revouvered an who would you consider to be the better team?
Personally, I wish Sauber all the best of luck, but I would much prefer it if Williams got the VW deal. Or maybe even McLaren!
GST
8th April 2010, 13:42
I don’t agree. Williams have had problems, particularly with their Toyota engines that quite frankly were not up to par. Williams have went with Cosworth not only because of budget restraints, but because of the future Cosworth powerplants and ability of them to catch up. Their history in F1 is amazing, and I think they should have stuck with Cosworth and not changed to Toyota. But being an independent does not automatically deny a team results, but it can give more freedom within the team and I believe that Williams will improve,
The same must be regarded of Sauber. Just because BMW have left them doesn’t mean that it’s all downhill, but they can bounce back with the right amount of determination within the team and matching the top teams.
Money doesn’t mean results – just look at Toyota, and Red Bull took their time to get results as well.
I do note that BMW have left Williams and Sauber in the lurch. What does that say about BMW?
Dennis
8th April 2010, 22:57
Williams did have a superdeal with the Toyota-engines if I recall. They got them very very cheap and I don’t think their engines were the problem. Toyota and Williams had pretty decent results the past years. Rosberg a lot of 4th and 5th places, Glock and Trulli were on the podiums a couple of times. I think the Cosworth’s well behind at the moment, judging by the first three races.
As for Sauber: I think Key needs time. They do have a good driver’s lineup, experience vs. raw talent. Their car suffers some reliabilityproblems but nothing too serious. No hydraulic failures or too small tanks or anything else that’s really strange. But they just lack pace, like pretty much all teams except top 4 + Renault. Force India, Williams and Toro Rosso are faster too.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
9th April 2010, 0:03
Maybe they saved money on the engine deal, but how much did they lose by having to put a guy in the car who failed to score any points last year?
plushpile
8th April 2010, 15:03
Won’t Red Bull be in for a good shot at the Vee Dub with all the cash they’ve given their Dakar team…
MacLeod
8th April 2010, 11:24
A man as Key can take charge but still it takes a lot of time before you see improvments if Sauber is lucky you see it this year otherwise maybe next year. I saw it with Spyker and FI little steps each time but small improvements first the team has to get used to the low budget…
panache
8th April 2010, 11:24
Key is not the key to sauber’s success. The real ‘key’ to sauber’s fortunes is money and not james.
Maybe his predecessor could not have, and James may well take the sauber to the river, but he cant make it drink, specially if there is no water( read money ) in the river. That the ex-bmw team have some of the most talented people on board is no secret,so for sure the team would know that the car’s nose needs to be ‘bent’ more like those of the prancing horse’s and the bull’s. And if they still seem to persist with the nose like the japanese Tengu( see link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Elephant_catching_a_flying_tengu.jpg ), then it’s something that james key would find impossible to bend to its perfection.
( but hey, toyota is jap, and now that most of their staff is jobless, maybe sauber could benefit more by pulling in an expert from toy than key. )
silencer
8th April 2010, 12:03
I believe mike gascoyne have already grab several experts from toyota into Lotus.
Maybe C29 will do much better in europe circuits… who knows..
good luck peter sauber
PJA
8th April 2010, 13:39
Looking at the car, the thing Sauber seem to need most is money.
Assuming they can secure the long term future of the team financially, I think the best they can hope for results wise is the same as before the BMW takeover, midfield and maybe achieving the occasional podium.
Al
8th April 2010, 14:19
The car seems to be inefficient. It would appear to have adequate traction but be suffering in aerodynamic efficiency, and may have wound their engines right out thus causing engine reliability problems.
Certainly a Sauber fan, I’ll keep wearing my BMW Sauber jacket with pride – get the BMW engine back!
Al
8th April 2010, 14:23
With ‘reliability’ upgrades!! :D
FLIG
8th April 2010, 15:46
“However, this economisation process is something all the other established teams still have ahead of them as a result of the restrictions imposed by FOTA.”
I think he’s sure the cuts will come, the limits will be much lower, and he got himself an expert in making a very decent job with lack of resources. Sounds to me like he’s betting that he’ll get thrashed in the near future, and struggle to cope with the pace. But when (or IF, in my opinion) they actually decide to spend a let loss with F1, his team will be very used to that way of working, as opposed to opponent teams that were spending all they were allowed to to create a super machine. Then, when every team is working with equally low amounts of money, or not such a huge difference between them, he’ll have the experience, thus, the advantage on the others.
sato113
8th April 2010, 16:10
I’m surprised the health and safety army hasn’t banned Peter Sauber from smoking his cigar yet.
Brakefluid
8th April 2010, 16:12
Sauber are definitely in a state of flux at the moment and the pristine white, sponsorship-free colour scheme is an indicator of their current need to economise. I’m sure Peter Sauber didn’t expect to be back in charge of the team after BMW took it over. However, I am quite glad to see more privateers back in the game. I do hope that they are able to get their car sorted and maybe get some points in the bag.
-A-
8th April 2010, 16:20
The rest of the season could be difficult for the team, as the three newcomers will be pushing their development to get in touch with the middle of the field as soon as possible. Sauber has some more experienced people on the workforce, but not much more resources in terms of budget, also considering the resource restrictions on wind tunnel use and the like. They’re once again an independent operation, so trying to score some points now and then, as they did in a season like 2005, should be the main target. Under those circumstances, Key seems a very fitting choice, especially given his experience in having played a part in taking Force India to where they are now. As that team’s example shows, however, that’s usually a process that takes some two seasons to develop.
theRoswellite
8th April 2010, 17:31
This team has got to be a sentimental favorite for so many fans. The Rescue, the unusual & beautiful new design, the lack of sponsors, the old & new driver line-up…many reasons to pull for Sauber. A proud name in recent F1 history. I rather feel like we NEED them to do well, and the potential for performance is certainly obvious.
Best of the best to this team.
Zibit
8th April 2010, 18:24
I think its the Cosworth power thats lacking in the Sauber. The Cosworth is a dog, IMO.
PJA
8th April 2010, 18:39
The Sauber C29 has a Ferrari engine not a Cosworth.
GST
8th April 2010, 18:41
They’re actually using Ferrari engines, not Cosworth. So if you think engines is the problem, blame Ferrari.
That’s why they’re called BMW Sauber Ferrari.
Zibit
8th April 2010, 18:58
Oh crap… I need another cup of joe.
I was thinking Williams.
As for Sauber it must be a lack of funds/sponsors then. Sad for them as I like both Williams and Sauber and they’re struggling like the new teams.
GST
8th April 2010, 18:38
I think that although budget cuts are all very well, taking expensive Ferrari engines must be putting a sizeable dent in Sauber’s budget.
If next year they stay independent (which I hope they do) then a possible change to Cosworth engines might be on the cards.
With Cosworth having more and more parity as the season progresses, next year the cheaper engines and transmissions could help Sauber put more into aerodynamics and design.
Icthyes
8th April 2010, 20:39
I think they’ll improve as the year goes on in terms of reliability, but probably not much in pace. Sauber are suffering from a lack of time and money (and time is money, so there you go) as much as anything else. I’m sure they’ll get some results, perhaps in Monaco or at some mad race, but I see no reason to panic even if they stay where they are all year. It’ll be next year that will be important, so long as they can survive.
Those with longer memories will recall Stewart Grand Prix had horrible reliability at the start of 1997. Then they got a 2nd in Monaco. Don’t write off Sauber yet!
m0tion
9th April 2010, 5:10
With the way Kubica is performing with the engineers at Renault compared to his problematic times at BMW, and now with Sauber himself questioning the driver-engineer interface, I suggest the Sauber engineers are under the pump and the new boss might be charged with sorting them quick smart. PDLR’s race pace has been better than I would have expected so soon if Koyoyashi’s level is anything but horrid.
petersblurb
9th April 2010, 14:26
Keith writes:
Maybe they saved money on the engine deal, but how much did they lose by having to put a guy in the car who failed to score any points last year?
I think having Nakajima in the car was an imposed condition whether they paid for the engines or not. You’ll notice that Stefan GP’s deal with Toyota included Nakajima. You’re right of course that it was poor value. I’m sure this led to Williams switching probably a year earlier than ideal.
Robert McKay
9th April 2010, 15:42
It’s not a surprise to see them struggling. BMW pulled out and for a while they weren’t even sure they were going to make the field, until Toyota announced their pull-out. Plus there was all that kerfuffle with Qadbak, who bought them but only on condition they had an entry…if you’ve bought something on such a condition would you be pouring much extra money in until the condition was met? No.
It’s hard, frankly, to imagine that work for 2010 kept on at the normal rate you would expect during that difficult period. I’m not saying it turned into a USF1/Campos type disaster zone, but it must have had a fair impact.
And its pretty rare you see a blank car running round at the front of the field, with Brawn being about the one notable exception in modern times.
Chaz
12th April 2010, 17:12
I feel really sorry for Peter Sauber who has been well and truely shafted by BMW. Sadly we have not heard any reports of BMW being so generous and helpful in their exit as Honda were with Brawn which does not bode well for the German car manufacturer ar all. In fact I’m surprised the media has not been more critical of BMW. I think it highlights further how much Honda should be praised for the way they handled their exit. Maybe selling our BMW was a good idea after all…