Sauber C30 launch – first pictures

2011 F1 cars

Posted on

| Written by

Sauber have launched their 2011 F1 car, the C30, in Valencia.

The team’s drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez revealed the car, which is the first to be designed under new technical director James Key.

2011 F1 cars


    Browse all 2011 F1 cars articles

    Images © F1 Fanatic, Julien Leroy/Firstlap.be and Sauber ag. If you wish to use this image please contact F1 Fanatic to request permission

    Author information

    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

    Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

    153 comments on “Sauber C30 launch – first pictures”

    1. First thoughts: they could have done a lot more with that livery. I’ve seen GP2 teams with better graphics.

      1. Why are you always so critical??

        1. It’s hard not to be critical in this instance…

          1. I like it….Saubers have always been simple

      2. I concur, the livery has the quality of an airfix assembled by a blind man :-/

        1. Horrific livery. Sauber must have the world’s laziest designer.

          With new sponsors I expected them to have a new livery. I can’t believe they’ve got exactly the same, what a let down.

          1. Not sure I agree with this. I think when designing a livery, the designers have two choices

            1) continue with the same basic identity and put sponsors on top of that
            2) design the livery around the sponsors

            McLaren used to do 2) before they lost the Marlboro sponsorship and then realised that they had lost their own identity since it was so closely linked to that of Marlboro.

            Since then, they have opted for 1), hence the silver cars of the last 12 years or so.

            Sauber is clearly trying to create and maintain a brand identity with this livery. Their only problem, in my opinion, is that the identity they have chosen looks quite bland and boring.

            Its a personal thing too, but I find that circular sponsors logos look like stickers rather than something integral to the design.

            1. Actually the silver livery came with West cigarette branding in 1997 and it stayed with McLaren up until mid 2005 (when tobacco advertising was banned). In 2006 McLaren adopted their current red and silver colour scheme.

            2. @ben curly

              I thought that the silver colour scheme was brought about because of McLarens desire to have an identity – of course, it matched with West at the time, but since then they’ve kept the basic silver as their brand.

              I could well be wrong though, I just seem to remember reading the above elsewhere.

              Regardless though, I think my point still stands even if Mclaren is not the best example.

          2. Sauber must have the world’s laziest designer.

            I think your forgetting that there are two teams (Ferrari and Mercedes) that have just picked a colour and dropped their cars into a bucket of it…

            1. “I think your forgetting that there are two teams (Ferrari and Mercedes) that have just picked a colour and dropped their cars into a bucket of it…”

              ha ha ha …………….. i think u forget that Ferrari’s national colour is RED……
              somewhere i read about color scheme…….that every car can choose their own color scheme according to their national color

      3. 100% agreed – I was hoping for some great light blue and white Telmex-themed livery. Last year’s colours were pretty dull, and spraying new sponsor logos on there with an apparently scattergun approach hasn’t improved it.

        1. I like the looks of the car and I’m glad it’s got a few more stickers tossed, apparently quite literally tossed, on the car!

          I agree with the Airfix kit comment! I may have to have a nose on ebay later for one to play with.

        2. It’s a shame, because the livery could really work with a few minor touches: extend the dark grey across the length of the topside of the nose, and have a wide streak of red across the aribox and down over the rear engine cowling and rear wing.

        3. My mother worked for a company who sponsored williams in 1999 / 2000

          There was a set price for a logo on each part of the car / suits.

          They paid a large sum of money for the front wing end plates and pit wall headphones. So the car designers didn’t choose where the logos went, its advertising space with set prices.

          The advertised not to premote the buisness name so much since the logo was tiny, more to impress clients by having access to a f1 team and drivers

          She got went to gp’s around europe even at canada sitting by the haripin. She only stayed long enough to get me a tee shirt then leave before the loud engines started up. My dad and I were very jelous

        4. 100% agreed – I was hoping for some great light blue and white Telmex-themed livery. Last year’s colours were pretty dull, and spraying new sponsor logos on there with an apparently scattergun approach hasn’t improved it.

          Hypocrites, everyone slamed Renault for designing they livery around the ING logos and now people want Sauber to do the same thing.

          I think they have made the right decision in keeping they livery, they are trying to build a brand and if they change every year that will never happen.

          For what it’s worth I think this is the best looking car we have seen in years, both in terms of shape and livery.

          1. Hypocritical? Maybe. But ING brought an atrocious livery, and Telmex has great colors. Some of the most beautiful and iconic liveries of the past were branded liveries, like the JPS and McLaren Marlboro liveries. Personally I’m very disappointed by this livery. It could have been something really great and different, like this mockup that Invoke posted in the livery thread on the forum: http://jamieatkinson.net/images/temp/sauber_telmex_wip.jpg

            1. That one looks great. The rfactorcentral Stephen Higgins posted below is too busy for my taste.

      4. It is a really poor showing considering all the new sponsors and money that’s been brought to the team. They never integrate them in, they just slap them on and it looks very messy.

        They never hire a graphic artist to put these things together, it seems.

        Still, though, I wish them the best of luck this year. Hope Kobayashi smashes his way to regular points with it.

        1. Seen the autosport photo and i see what you mean re sponsor logos. It does just look like they’ve put them randomly all over the body work. I still think it looks the livery is quite striking – shame about the logos.

          1. What I don’t understand furthermore is the fact that the livery design is just a rip-off of BMW’s. They just swapped the blue for a charcoal grey. The red and the grey work well, and could make for a great livery if they came up with something distinctive.

            1. I recall Peter Sauber saying early in the year that he actually quite liked the livery, so he was only going to tweak it.

              Given that, I’m not so very disappointed, the red line around the nose is a tad better done than last year, and match fairly nicely with the red on the front wing. The Claro sponsorship at least fits reasonably well on the car. I find I actually like the very front of the car a great deal.

              I agree that otherwise, I think they could have done a lot more with the colour combinations, but I do feel that at least they put the logo’s at spots where the fit in with the surrounding livery, as far as possible.

            2. Look at the front wing! They’ve actually just printed some logos out from Google images and stuck them over last years car.

              Massive disappointment.

        2. They never integrate them in, they just slap them on and it looks very messy.

          That. ^

      5. For once, I agree with PM. Tad let down with the livery. Its not bad, just very bland.

        Its like watching your kid come home 5th in a sports event. Not bad, but nothing to be excited over.

        1. I disagree….it IS bad…

          I think even HRT will have a better livery this year…

          1. Well HRT have hired a designer specially, they should end up with one of the best liveries!

            1. Possibly the best bit of their car, then!

          2. I disagree….it IS bad…
            I think even HRT will have a better livery this year…

            Agreed, especially considering the potential they had with the Telmex colors. I posted this above already, but just to add to everyone’s disappointment with the livery I’ll draw attention to what it could have been again: http://jamieatkinson.net/images/temp/sauber_telmex_wip.jpg

      6. I guess the need the white areas for any new sponsor they get.

        The sidepods remind me of the ForceIndia of 2010.

      7. I agree Prisoner Monkeys. F1 is meant to be the pinnacle, how about some liveries that demonstrate this.

        1. Are they taking their livery seriously? It seems like they just threw a few stickers on there last year car.
          If they don’t want to waste money on a designer they should ask the fans. They will get a few really good ones as the Team Lotus contest proved.

          Btw where is the Vodka? I don’t think i see it.

          1. There is Cuervo tequila on the 2 air ducts

      8. While artistically not fantastic, look at how the logos stand out, surely a major consideration for the Sauber team who need the money.

      9. Agreed, it’s to ugly to be fast…and I think they designed it around Peter Sauber’s nose.

        Just imagine that his nostrils are the radiator ducts, throw a set of Pirellis on it and well, Bob’s your uncle!

        I bet they saved a fortune in development costs that way. :)

      10. First thought: Mercedes W02 with some differences (sidepods) and a much uglier livery (if you call that a livery at all).

      11. I was expecting a bigger Telmex logo prmoninently on the engine cover or sidepods. But anyway I liked the C29’s shape and now the C30’s too. As in last year, I love those wheels – seem straight out of a muscle car!

        But overally the livery could have been better designed, much better.

    2. Oh my goodness its beautiful I absolutely love it its amazing Kamui Kobayashi I wish him lots of success

      1. Woh there, lol first thoughts, compare that to the Ferrari, or when the McLaren or Redbull come out. Shows the differance between a top team and a lower one. Okay, bit simplistic in places, hope those arn’t the racing wings, packaging is quite bulky, probably won’t be challenging for podiums.

        Less impressed by Sauber than I was last year, although they where a bit crap on track to start off with. Do like that they’ve found sponsers.

    3. First! Nice clean design, and it is wonderful to see so many sponsors on a Sauber again. I am glad they’ve come back from the brink.

      1. Yep – i think the simple lines work.

      2. And here’s ladies and gentlemen, is why posting “First” makes you look like a dolt.

        In other news: Sauber appear to have unveiled a C29.

        Are all this year’s cars going to look like 2010-spec ones? Apart from the Lotus, which didn’t really look like a 2010-spec one in 2010 anyway.?

    4. At least it has colour than last year, it least it will hid the dirt. Best of luck for Sauber for this season!

      1. The nose looks like that on the F10, just a bit higher.

        1. I was also thinking that, a cleaner and tilted upwards, version of the F10 nose; MP4-25 sidepod front, and RB5/6 like tail.

          1. Considering those three teams soundly beat them, that approach might well help them stay afloat in the midfield if they manage to integrate the bits well, mind.

            1. It’s traditional for lower teams to copy higher teams to stay in touch. Always has happened always will happen.

    5. They had a great chance to form a new identity with a different colour-scheme, so it’s a pity they left it almost the same…

      1. I think their design from last year was them trying to forge their own identity an there buisness plan is not based around the idea of a title sponser, so the acres of white is just for ease of additional sponsers.

        Shame their identity is so boring huh?

    6. Is that a Force India that’s been resprayed?

      1. yea it looks like last years FI without shark fin

        1. What’s with that? I love the shark fin however none of the cars released so far – ferrari, Lotus, Suaber – seem to have it.

          I reckon if it’s good enough for Mr Newey…

          1. Shark fin are banned this year so u will probably never seen a fin this year…….

    7. Looks like we’re seeing the first major bodywork change for 2011 (Lotus doesn’t count since they were working off Mercedes’ ideas): at the rear end, the bodywork is much higher on the C30 than on the F150 or T128. It’s actually higher than the rear tyres. I’m guessing its purpose is to funnel the exhaust.

      1. The front wing – particularly where it connects to the nose – is also much more conventional than that industrial, angular thing they were running last year.

        1. Ignoring the livery, it does look neat and tidy. Although whilst the FIA were banning f-ducts and double diffusers and the like, i wish they would have included a ban on those nasty looking bargeboards that sit at the front of the sidepods. They just look wrong.

        2. It’s a pity. The pointed high nose combined with those forward-raked wing mounts gave the C29 its aggressive shark-like appearance.

      2. Rear wing looks interesting from this picture – quite a few intricate design features.

      3. I think the Red bull did something very similar last year.

        Also i heard a rumor that torro rosso will have the ferrari KERS, is that also the case for Sauber?

        1. yes Sauber will also use Ferrari KERS sysetm…

          1. I think most teams running KERS will be running that of their respective engine suppliers, Williams being the obvious exception, and since Virgin and HRT won’t run it it’s doubtful Cosworth will have any reason to develop a KERS anytime soon.

      4. Yes, it seems to be extremely narrow and high, probably with a narrow air-outlet. They also seem to be having pull-rod, or did I miss where the push rod connects between the upper A-arms?

        1. Oh, just read bit of autosport article, they are using a Ferrari gearbox, so have a very similar push-rod suspension with the push-rod connecting in a very forward position, that’s why I didn’t see it clearly in most of the pictures taken from the front – on the side pictures it is very clear.

          1. They do have a very tight back end (both Ferrari and Sauber) that looks good.

            1. …a very tight back end that looks good.

              Can’t argue with that. ;-)

      5. YEs, I noticed that too, with no double diffuser, maybe it’s not so important to have the air cascading down from the airbox…? But it’s deffinetly a new designfeature

    8. Can’t say I’m impressed by that livery. It manages to look both bland and overly busy at the same time. Just doesn’t gel well IMHO.

    9. This thing has the visual qualities of a late-80ies backmarker. Ugh.

    10. It’s starting to look like relatively flat, raised noses and very tight backsides are this year’s preferred solutions. Personally, I like the look it gives the cars, especially from the side – so far the Ferrari, Lotus and Sauber all look really nice to my eyes. Clean lines.

      1. yeah but next year’s solutions will just be whatever Newey comes up with for this year.

      2. There is the running theme of having a dip at the cockpit-end of the nose too. Last year’s cars tended to have the dip at the front.

    11. first impressions…. I like it

    12. Good thing they got more sponsors, but color combination on the front doesn’t look so nice. White,blue and red don’t match.
      Wishing them good luck anyways!
      I noticed a slightly high nose cone, weird air inlet too. Don’t know if these are like same from last year.

      1. White,blue and red don’t match.

        I think the US, UK, Australia, NZ, France, Holland, Russia, Norway, and a slew of other countries would disagree with you on that!

    13. The nose looks quite odd from the angle Autosport present. It starts out wide at the front, and then narrows when the V-channel starts, and then wides out again running up to the cockpit.

      1. It doesn’t help that they have got the pinstipe right along the upper edge of the nose. That over emphisises a bit too.
        Poerhaps other pictures emerging will show it better.

      1. Bloody hell mate. 6 posts in 10 minutes on the same thread……calm down.

        1. I have a very stream-of-consciousness style. I post things as I think of them. Also, the fire control panel for my block is broken, so all I’m getting is this “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!” noise that is very unpleasant, so it helps to have something like this to focus on.

        2. Well, I don’t see any rules about limits on posting, so the guy is allowed to be as annoying as he pleases.

          1. Thank you.

        3. Shutup Hamish.

          1. Thanks Charlie

    14. Quite let down by there livery. Doesn’t seem to have any imagination at all. Just logos slapped onto the car. It’s more dissapoiting as I thought they would have gone for a blusih telmex livery, but they havn’t, it had alot of potential to be much nicer. Looks bland and messy, could have been done much better.

    15. Oh I REALLY like it. And I’m happy to see quite a lot new sponsors, which hopefully brought some financial stability and opened new perspectives for the team.

      1. The only new sponsors are TelMex and its subsdiaries (Claro & Telcel) and Cuervo

        1. Comparing to what they started with last year, you must admit that’s significant.

          1. True… Well, anything would be an improvement from last year.
            Still, I wish them the best, as they are one of the few true racing squads left in F1.

        2. And another Mexican brewery if JA’s info is good, presumably Corona or Sol or something.

          1. Fingers crossed for Modelo.

    16. oh no..

      i was really looking forward to this but it pretty much looks the same as last year :(

    17. Has anyone else noticed the Mclaren style side-pods.

      1. So far I find both the Ferrari and Sauber owe a good deal to last year’s McLaren, which is strange given that they did not have the fastest car – so what gives?

    18. i actually like the livery.. looks fast

      plus those wheel rims/hubs.. they’re so beautiful!

    19. Quite telling that the logo on the sidepods (ie one of the prime advertising spaces on the car) is a Sauber logo…

    20. Looking a comparison between the C29 and C30, the airbox is very different. This one is held up by four struts and joins with the main body much further back than on the C29.

      1. They really undercut that airbox for the maximum amount, up to the point where it has to bend down to connect to the engine. It looks a bit odd with the squat shape of the airbox itself, but interesting.

        1. I’m thinking that perhaps they’ve had to move the engine a bit further back (perhaps to accommodate the KERS gubbins?) which might explain the strange shape of the car, and the engine air intake.

          1. Hm, but the high bit at the back really is only a very narrow slit to let out air – take a look at the launch gallery on Formula1.com: pic 18/26 from http://www.formula1.com/gallery/launches/2011/558.html for example)

            Sauber hide the diffuser in the on-track photos, but that area down low between the wheels really does look about as clean and empty as on the F150 – the beam wing seems to be well clear of the crash structure. even the two cables holding the floor/diffuser are there!

            I also notice on that same picture, that there does seem to be some kind of hinge in the middle of the rear wing, but nothing allowing movement on the end plates; There are however two light grey bands seperating the upper flap in three – I wonder if maybe only the middle part of that lowers – that would seem to create some issues around the edges there, but who knows.

            1. hm, forget about that last bit, just inside the endplates you can see that the flap is flanked by to narrow ridges on the side plate, it could well be that it is only fixed at the top there and actually pivots on the two grey bands halfway the width of the flap.

      2. This [air intake] is held up by four struts and joins with the main body much further back than on the C29.

        That seems to be a trend so far, which I’m not surprised by since the RB6 was set up that way (2 struts, not 4).

    21. The weather in Valencia isn’t helping the photos, because the livery looks dull the pics with studio lighting though look terrific! Could’ve gone for a bit more base color but the car looks mean. I like it!

      1. Seems to have lost a period and an enter there..

        Anyway, also the boxy lines of last years car have evolved into curves which makes it look aero dynamically much more matured.

    22. Is the front suspension mounted on a double keel, like the decade old Saubers? I thought that this design format has been abandoned for nearly a decade…

    23. From the side-on angle, the nose reminds me of the Virgin. It’s not as needle-nosed as the VR-01, but it certainly extends well out beyond the front wing.

    24. gaaahH!

      I thought with Jose on board there would be something cool going on but it just looks like a mashed transformer

      i hyped myself up so much for this

      1. Thanks Grace

      2. Wow, thanks Grace. From that picture, the sidepods look considerably narrower at the back. And the nose seems to not have changed enormously, except it has a form of the Red Bull ridges on top, and the front wing pylons are simpler.

        I think the front and rear wing are the more or less the same, so those are probably, as is the case with most teams, a 2010 version.

    25. It’s telling as to the amount of sponsorship cash the team are receiving, where and how they place the logos. And as someone said before, a Sauber logo on the sidepods is telling also.

      Maybe with a bit more cash from TM they could have had a lovely blue livery, with smaller logos for the other TM related companies.

    26. Looks like a triple-section front wing is a 2011 must have

    27. Incredibly disappointed. The car looks nice but the livery is so BORING! Are you sure this is really that Sauber team that we all know and love?

      1. Not only boring, but sloppy. Really just looks like they slapped some stickers wherever… My friend’s amateur rally car has a more cohesive and planned out livery than this thing.

    28. I don’t care about the car as long as Koba is driving it!

    29. The circle Claro logo looks horrible, like it’s from a webpage from 1999 (gel buttons, ugh).

      Other than than it looks okay at best. Sauber really do need to find their own design, though.

    30. Christopher Vissing
      31st January 2011, 11:01

      funny to see a sauber like that with SPONSORS other than burger king ;) haha
      It’s a little ugly i think.. Could’ve done a better job, but what the h…

      1. Yea thats true. I don’t know what was more embarrassing – the lack of sponsors or Pedro and Kamui having an instore appearance at a Burger King in Valencia.

        Heres hoping they take the same approach this year, but with Jose Cuervo.

      1. hum,yes the tyres look different…

    31. better than last year for sure

    32. Seeing the side by side comparison to last year’s car I noticed a small Japanese sponsor on last year’s rear wing, which is gone now. This has me wondering: how come there is not a lot more Japanese going on on this car? I now the Japanese like F1 and of course they have a lot of huge companies, many of which have shown an interest in F1 before, or even had major sponsor deals with teams. Are they not yet impressed by Kobayashi? Does anybody know if there is a reason behind this?

      1. It’s based on two reasons i believe.
        First Kobayashi’s father is just a small sushi restaurant owner. That means that his family is not some big rich family with connections to big Japanese businessmen. Most drivers also have families with connections and that’s why they get big sponsorships from local businessmen.

        Second Japan was currently under a disappointment environment from F1 with their car companies leaving and all that, not to mention their drivers never doing anything great. Now it seems is harder for them to get convinced that this guy really is great.

        Lets hope that this car really is a very good car giving Kobayashi some chances to impress again. An odd win should do the trick but that’s gonna be a hard one considering how much cars are expected to be faster than the Sauber. Even if only Mclaren,Ferrari,Red Bull and Mercedes are faster than them, that’s still 10 cars that have to do very bad or break for that odd win to occur.

    33. In my opinion, even with little sponsorship, more effort can be made to make the car more distinguishable, if nothing else but get some spectator interest in the car. I personally was hoping for something a little more radical than what it has turned out to be… I can understand that last year was rushed and there was very little sponsorship, but there could have been a bit more effort this year.

      In my opinion….

    34. There are interviews streaming live on LRGP site!

    35. the car design and livery suggest running on tight budget.

    36. it looks better under wraps
      can’t believe they paid somebody to design that livery!

      1. This is way much better than the livery Briatore designed for Renault ING.

    37. Hi Keith,

      Could you put a key feature matrix together for the 2011 cars? Makes it easier to compare them.

      You know the kind of comparison table of features you often between software suites with a tick or little dot in the intersection of the feature and team.

      I’m thinking….

      KERS,
      Integrated blown diffuser,
      Adjustable rear wing
      Push rod suspension
      Pull rod suspension
      Wheelbase
      Engine (manufacture, not yes or no) lol
      etc.

    38. I was expecting a lot moe/bigger TelMex advertisement…

      1. Yes from what i see no sponsor managed to have his name written in big letters on the sidepots. That can only mean that none of all those sponsors offers a big multimillion deal.
        It seems Sauber should still be looking for that big sponsor name.
        Kind of disappointing because i thought they would have been more free to spend money but now am not so sure.

    39. Best looking car of 2011 so far by a long way in my oppinion.

    40. Looks like a cheap fag packet…

    41. I guess the livery isn’t that much of a concern to Sauber. All that matters is that Kobayashi will be behind the wheel pulling off crazy but acceptable overtaking moves on the others. Moves that would be inspired by energy drinks and tequila mixed together. :P

    42. I still like the wheels!

    43. I think it looks good. I was expecting to see more of the Telmex blue however.

    44. love those pics, i can even read the barcode on the front wing ;)

    45. it’s a nice design, nothing special though but me likes it.

    46. They could have work harder on the livery I do hope they also spend sometime with the car.

    47. Wow what a beast! The livery isn’t what a lot of people expected but I think it looks pretty raw no nonsense to me, ready to race.

    48. Well….least better than previous an awkward name and no livery or primary sponsorship @ all.

    49. Is there confirmation one way or another that this is the final livery?

      And I cant wait to see what really lives under alll these high noses and rear ends… I suspect a lot of teams are sitting on some very interesting aero ideas for Bahrain around huuuuuge front wings (which only deflect per FIA spec..) and cunning methods of playing with the airflow out the back. All that data from 2 years of DDDs and EBDs has to have been put to best use under 2011 regs which to my mind means thinking around the edges of what the MRW gives you and trying to join this to whatever you can get away with out the back.

    50. Sauber are probably thinking that it looks much better with the decals on, rather than not having anything to put on it at all.

      Difficult to know how “special” a design it is until it hits the tracks during testing.

      If ‘looks’ are anything to go by, then I would have to say that the Ferrari was the most yawn enducing car so far.

    51. wow so much hate for Lotus-Renault and here we have a genuinely ugly car and so many of you praise sauber… whats up with that?

    52. Younger Hamilton
      31st January 2011, 18:36

      Car looks pretty good really like the design of it but does it have the drivers(Most definetely Kamui but Sergio has to impress) and sufficient Aerodynamic Performance to build on from Last year,we’ll see in Pre Season Testing and in Bahrain

    53. What an horrible car. I don’t mind the dark gray, white and red colors, but it feels like they let a little kid stamp the sponsorers’ logos around and were done with it.

    54. No retro-livery, no fancy launch, no 3 test drivers, no 3 car companies plastered on the car. Just a good sensible design and two drivers ready to race like heck. Typical Sauber.

    55. Interstingt the Claro sponsorship, it’s a brazilian telecom company which operates only in Brazil and there’s no brazilian pilot driving for Sauber this year.
      This not that common among brazilian companies regarding sponsoring sports.

    Comments are closed.