Dirty Sanchez
02-04-05, 02:11 PM
:laugh:
Something's wrong with Sauber's C24?
Fri 04 Feb, 2:39 PM
Peter Sauber is aware that his team will have to face a serious challenge with its new car, the C24. A fundamental design problem might be the source of the disappointing results of the Swiss team at the Catalunya circuit.
It all started very well in the initial test at Valencia. But the slower, lower downforce characteristics of the Ricardo Tormo track didn't give a realistic picture of the car's potential in all conditions.
However, the more demanding Catalunya circuit didn't hide the truth: it is a well known fact that a car that performs well in Barcelona will be competitive everywhere... and the opposite result applies for a car that is slow on this track!
"We do not seem able to find a good balance at Barcelona," admitted Peter Sauber to Autosport. "We presume there must be a hiccup somewhere and will have to work even harder to find out what's wrong."
The low temperatures in Barcelona during the test didn't help the tyres to perform adequately but the conditions were the same for all the teams. It doesn't explain the performance gap that separated the C24 from the Ferrari F2004 M.
At least one positive element for Sauber is the C24's reliability. The Petronas engine already managed to complete the equivalent of three consecutive Grands Prix without any mechanical problem.
Something's wrong with Sauber's C24?
Fri 04 Feb, 2:39 PM
Peter Sauber is aware that his team will have to face a serious challenge with its new car, the C24. A fundamental design problem might be the source of the disappointing results of the Swiss team at the Catalunya circuit.
It all started very well in the initial test at Valencia. But the slower, lower downforce characteristics of the Ricardo Tormo track didn't give a realistic picture of the car's potential in all conditions.
However, the more demanding Catalunya circuit didn't hide the truth: it is a well known fact that a car that performs well in Barcelona will be competitive everywhere... and the opposite result applies for a car that is slow on this track!
"We do not seem able to find a good balance at Barcelona," admitted Peter Sauber to Autosport. "We presume there must be a hiccup somewhere and will have to work even harder to find out what's wrong."
The low temperatures in Barcelona during the test didn't help the tyres to perform adequately but the conditions were the same for all the teams. It doesn't explain the performance gap that separated the C24 from the Ferrari F2004 M.
At least one positive element for Sauber is the C24's reliability. The Petronas engine already managed to complete the equivalent of three consecutive Grands Prix without any mechanical problem.