It’s not been the easiest of starts for Sauber to the 2014 Formula One season. The Swiss team has struggled with reliability issues; Adrian Sutil has failed to finish the last three Grands Prix and arguably Esteban Gutierrez’s only moment of notoriety came under unfortunate circumstances when he got speared by Pastor Maldonado’s Lotus at Bahrain.
Caterham and Marussia are yet to score, which was expected, but Sauber and Lotus are both yet to get on the scoreboard this season.
So heading into the Spanish GP weekend, Sauber seeks a turnaround as they plan a weight reduction and substantial aerodynamic updates, per head of track engineering Giampaolo Dall’Ara, in a team pre-race release.
“At the Spanish Grand Prix both C33s will have essential revisions, following an extensive weight reduction and a significant aerodynamic update,” he said. “This update consists of a modified front wing and a new engine cover, new side-pod fins and deflectors, as well as a number of other aerodynamic changes. Besides that, we will also have a software improvement which will enable us to use the potential of the power unit in a better way. We expect a busy Friday at the track while tuning the set-up to the new package.”
Sutil has exactly one goal this weekend: Finish.
“We will be travelling to Barcelona with some car updates, which I hope will help us to improve our performance,” he said. “Obviously, I expect more than in the last races. After three retirements in a row, we need to finish this race.”
Gutierrez has something to defend this race, having set fastest lap here last year.
“For us it is an opportunity to improve our level of competitiveness. I have faith in my team, everyone is doing their best,” said the young Mexican. “We are positive and expect to make a step forward. Last year was very positive for me because I did the fastest lap in the race. I am fully prepared to go for the maximum and to get the most out of the car.”
Test and reserve driver Giedo van der Garde will also be busy around the weekend. The Dutchman is expected to run in FP1 on Friday, and he’ll have a full test day a week from Tuesday.
We’ll see if the changes bring Sauber closer to the front of the field.
