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2001
Sauber C20
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Peter Sauber has launched the new Team Red Bull Sauber Petronas F1
challenger, the C20, for the 2001 season. Surrounded by cars from previous
seasons, in a factory that his father used to own, he spoke optimistically of
his hopes for this season. Despite finishing only eighth last season with just
six points, his enthusiasm for Formula One appears undiminished. He also
announced that the team were to build a 100% wind tunnel in the factory where
the launch took place. Whilst it is being build primarily for development of
their F1 car, it will be big enough to cater for other, larger, third party
users (GT racers, for example). The ability to own (and have the cash to run)
large wind tunnels is becoming increasingly important in the modern age.
Benetton are rumored to be leasing time in a third party wind tunnel in
addition to ongoing activities at their own two.
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Driver
introduction
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Whilst the presentation was upbeat, he did not shy from the truth. Sauber
are to lose their title sponsor Red Bull at the end of the year, who have
decided to move their sponsorship to the FedEx CART series. With the
announcement of new sponsor Credit Suisse coming on board several days
previously, the news on the sponsorship front was not all bad however.
The Drivers
Introducing drivers Nick Heidfeld and Kimi Raikkonen he admitted that the
team were not doing well enough to attract drivers of the caliber of
Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Sauber said that he had discussed terms for this year
with Frentzen but that ultimately it was the team's performance, or lack of it,
that proved the stumbling block. Instead the team had to rely on a policy of
taking and training young drivers. It would seem that, particularly with
Raikkonen, this policy could yet pay a handsome dividend.
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Heidfeld,
Sauber and Raikkonen
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Of his new driver signings Peter Sauber was very enthusiastic: "We have
set great hopes in Nick Heidfeld and Kimi Raikkonen and expect them to achieve
better results than we had last season. Nick learned a great deal in his first
season in Formula One and brings that experience with him." On the subject
of Kimi Raikkonen he was equally enthusiastic: "From the moment that he
first sat in one of our cars, at Mugello in September last year, Kimi showed
himself to be a most unusual young man. He did not put a wheel wrong and
managed to set highly impressive lap times. In subsequent tests he continued
this remarkable form, which made him impossible to overlook."
Technical Package
On the power plant front the team has a distinct advantage with last year's
double championship winning Ferrari engine - badged as the Petronas 01A. At 10
kilos lighter, with a lower centre of gravity, it is clear that they expect it
to provide a welcome boost over the previous unit. Sponsor Petronas developed
an improved lubricating oil which was used in the last four races of the 2000
season, and it is this lubricant that will also be used throughout the new
season.
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New cars
on display
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On the chassis front, the sidepods and rear of the car are significantly
revised, as the team attempt to get the maximum performance from the car within
the constraints of the new regulations. These see the maximum number of rear
wing elements reduced to four (three at the top and one at the bottom), and the
raising of the front wing by 50mm.
When asked if he had considered switching from Bridgestone to Michelin
tires, Peter Sauber said that he had made no contact with the French supplier.
As with other team principals, he expected that the tire advantage would swing
between the suppliers as the season progressed.
The team has continued with the now-common practice of the engine exhaust
gasses exiting through the top of the rear bodywork. Reliability is cited as
the major benefit - The gearbox and rear suspension are protected from the 700
degree heat of the exhaust gasses.
At a more personal level, Fantasy-F1.Net enquired if he would like to
return to his initial motor sport activity - tuning VW beetles - now that VW
had re-launched the car. "It's a nice idea" he laughed, "but I
don't really think it's possible." Kimi Raikkonen showed a typically
Finnish sense of humour when asked about his relationship with his helmet:
"Well, it protects my head" came the dry response. In any event Peter
Sauber comes over as an extremely personable team owner with a character of
some depth. It is to be hoped that his faith in his two young chargers is
repaid with the success that the team deserves.
History
Peter Sauber started in motorsport in 1970, tuing VW Beetles. In the years
between then and 1993 the business developed into a world-beating sportscar
team, and at one stage ran Michael Schumacher, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Karl
Wendlinger as the Works Mercedes team. Sauber have been racing in Formula One
since 1993. Their first car, the C12, was Ilmor powered. Sauber used Mercedes
engines the following year, hoping to gain full works backing for subsequent
seasons. This did not happen, and so the team became the Ford works team for
the next two years. For the 1997 season the team started using the Petronas
badged Ferrari engines and are about to start their fifth season with a Ferrari
power plant. This is Sauber's eight year in Formula One. Over the years the
teams's best finish has been sixth in the constructors standings.
Nick Heidfeld (Germany) and Kimi Räikkönen (Finland) completed a successful rollout of the new RED BULL SAUBER PETRONAS C20 in Fiorano, Scuderia Ferrari´s team home track in Italy.
The C20 is an all-new contender, fully
optimized for the new technical regulations introduced by the FIA for the 2001 Formula One World Championship season.
«Our primary aim with the C20 has been to meet the stringent new regulations,» said technical director Willy Rampf. « The new weight-bearing requirement for the rollover hoop structure, and the new side intrusion resistance demands, are very tough and have necessitated a new monocoque chassis. We have also focused on the new aerodynamic rules governing the design and placement of the front and rear wings. Weight reduction is also one of our priorities. It is fair to say that the car is a completely new development.»
The C20 was first fired up at Hinwil on Tuesday, prior to dispatch to Fiorano, where it ran unbranded as the team’s full sponsorship
program will be announced at the official launch in Hinwil on January 24. Nick Heidfeld drove first and completed 64 laps, pronouncing himself very satisfied with his initial experience of the car as he conducted basic systems checks. Kimi Räikkönen then
acclimatized himself to the C20 for a few additional laps.
Kimi Räikkönen drove 92 laps on Wednesday at the wheel of the C19, completing 270 kilometers to find his marks on the Fiorano circuit that he was discovering for the first time.
Team RED BULL SAUBER PETRONAS’s 2001 test program begins in Jerez from January 15 to 17. Nick Heidfeld will drive the sole C20 for the first two days, before handing over to Kimi Räikkönen. There will be two cars available for the next outing, in Barcelona on January 25-28, a day after the launch of the C20 at the factory in Hinwil (Near Zürich - Switzerland).
Aerodynamics
The RED BULL SAUBER PETRONAS C20 reflects the areas that have received the greatest attention. The front wing must be mounted higher. At the rear, only three elements are now allowed in the wing's upper plane and one in the lower. After further prolonged aerodynamic research, the sidepods and the diffuser, all parts which have a crucial effect on a car's aerodynamic efficiency, also are significantly different.
As ever, the aerodynamic team's aims have been to develop greater downforce without generating greater drag, which is the enemy of top speed. Aerodynamic research is always a compromise between those two factors - negative lift (or downforce) over drag.
So, the shape of the RED BULL SAUBER PETRONAS C20 has been determined by more than 35 weeks of wind tunnel research with a 50 percent scale model at Airplanes and Systems (SF) in Emmen. Seamus Mullarkey (36), Ireland, is Chief of Aerodynamics for RED BULL SAUBER PETRONAS. His team spends two thirds of its time at Emmen. "The revised technical regulations forced us completely to rethink our aerodynamic package," Mullarkey explains, "and what you see on the C20 will change as the car develops further through the season. Aerodynamic research is an area of Formula One car design which never ceases."
Technical Data
Chassis: Carbon fibre monocoque
Engine: PETRONAS 01A
Front Suspension: Upper and lower wishbones, inboard springs and dampers (Sachs Race Engineering), actuated by pushrods
Rear Suspension: Upper and lower wishbones, inboard springs and dampers (Sachs Race Engineering), actuated by pushrods
Brakes: Six-piston calipers (Brembo) front and rear; carbon pads and discs (Brembo)
Transmission: Semi-automatic, longitudinally mounted, seven-speed transmission (Sauber), carbon clutch (Sachs Race Engineering)
Chassis Electronics: Magneti Marelli
Tyres: Bridgestone
265/55R13 front
325/45R13 rear
Wheels: BBS
12J13 front
13.7J13 rear
Dimensions: Length: 4.450 mm
Width: 1.800 mm
Height: 950 mm
Front Track: 1.470 mm
Rear Track: 1.410 mm
Wheel base: 3.040 mm
Weight: 600 kg (including liquids and driver) Article and associated images Copyright (c) 2001 Fantasy-F1.Net.
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