34 minus 12 equals 22 years of Formula 1 for Sauber
The Sauber F1 Team has been enriching the premier class of motorsport for 22 years. 22 years means that the Hinwil-based squad has built just as many F1 cars. From Karl Wendlinger to Marcus Ericsson, a total of 27 drivers from 14 nations have competed in the various Grand Prix cars.
On the occasion of the photo and film session for the 2015 team presentation in Hinwil, Peter Sauber showed his new young Swedish driver Marcus Eriksson a few milestones in Sauber's history.
Not all young drivers are interested in the history and technical background of their own sport. It's often sad to realize that certain youngsters only know Schumacher and Senna, but don't even know how heavy their own car is or who Colin Chapman was. So it's all the more pleasing when a young driver takes on the team's history.
Sauber successfully took on the F1 World Championship for the first time with the C12 on March 14, 1993 in South Africa. JJ Lehto had just scored two world championship points in the number 30 car, quite literally, because five minutes before the end of the race a downpour flooded the track over Kyalami. Gerhard Berger promptly slid offside in the Ferrari and finally JJ Lehto relegated Footwork driver Derek Warwick to 6th place with a final attack that was as risky as it was successful. Sauber's debut in F1 turned out to be the best in 16 years; in 1977 the debuting Wolf Team had won the Argentine GP with Jody Scheckter.
With an extra bit of luck, JJ could even have finished on the podium alongside Alan Prost and Ayrton Senna in South Africa. A pit stop had already cost the Finn a lot of time at the start of the race because the gearbox control unit had to be replaced.
At the end of the season, Alain Prost, who had returned after a one-year absence, had become world champion in the Williams Renault ahead of Ayrton Senna in the McLaren-Ford. Sauber scored 12 points, which was enough to finish 7th out of 11 contenders in the constructors' championship. The result could have been even better, however, if another problem had not arisen after gradually diminishing difficulties with the engine. In the summer, the performance in qualifying suddenly left a lot to be desired. The excellent average of grid positions in the first 7 races (8.5) dropped to 11.5 by the end due to the relatively weak rate of the last 9 Grand Prix (14.5). This makes the five points that Karl Wendlinger added in the final third of the season all the more astonishing.
The C12 was a very pleasing car in formal terms, but, like the C33, was completely lost on the asphalt in terms of color.
Probably the ugliest of the 22 Sauber cars was the C29 from 2010. With its incredible length and huge fin, it looked more like a station wagon than a racing car. Malicious tongues even called it an "ambulance". Nevertheless, Kamui Kobayashi, Nick Heidfeld and Pedro de la Rosa scored 44 championship points that season.
By far the most successful cars were the C20 and the BMW Sauber F1.08. The C20 took 4th place in the constructors' championship in 2001 with Nick Heidfeld and Kimi Raikkonen.
With the BMW Sauber F1.08, Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld took a one-two victory in Canada in 2008.
The only car to finish without a single point was the C33. Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutiérrez did not come close to scoring any points on their own throughout the season. Only in Monaco were points on the cards. The double retirement, both due to driving errors, gave Marussia their only points of their career. To protect the two drivers, it must be said that they never really felt comfortable in the car.
The limit range of the C33 was said to be extremely critical and therefore it only took a little and the car was lost. Ferrari's drivetrain was also the heaviest and weakest of the three suppliers (Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari) that year.
Comparison of the technical data
| Type | C12 | C34 |
| Year | 1993 | 2015 |
| Weight: | 500 kg | 702 kg (incl. driver) |
| Wheelbase: | 2920 mm | |
| Length x width x height: | 4'620mm x 2'000mm x 1'000mm | 5'300mm x 1'800mm x 950mm |
| Wheel rim brand | Speedline | OZ |
| Tire brand: | Goodyear | Pirelli |
| Engine: | Ilmor Type 2175 A | Ferrari |
| Cylinders: | V10 naturally aspirated | V6 turbo/hybrid |
| Cylinder angle: | 72 degrees | 90 degrees |
| Displacement: | 3'498 ccm | 1'600 ccm |
The biggest difference, with the exception of weight, between the C12 and the C34 is the length of the vehicle. While the 1993 C12 with its 4.6 m length and 2 m width was very balanced and harmonious, the C34, like all other competitors, appears much too long with a length of 5.3 m, which is further emphasized by the 20 cm smaller vehicle width.
The cars became uglier every year with the high noses and reached the absolute aesthetic low in 2014. The comical "nose bears" were a far cry from an aesthetically pleasing racing car. There is a saying that a fast racing car is always beautiful. This is probably only partially true, because in 2014 they were all ugly as hell. Only a few just managed to conceal the aerodynamic slip-ups with their paintwork. Let's see how technology and looks develop in 2015 ...
The Sauber drivers from 1993 to 2015
1993 C12 Karl Wendlinger and J. Lehto
1994 C13 Karl Wendlinger, Andrea de Cesaris, J. Lehto and Heinz Harald Frentzen
1995 C14 Karl Wendlinger, Jean-Christoph Bouillon and Heinz Harald Frentzen
1996 C15 Johnny Herbert and Heinz Harald Frentzen
1997 C16 Johnny Herbert, Nicola Larini, Gianni Morbidelli and Norberto Fontana
1998 C17 Jean Alesi and Johnny Herbert
1999 C18 Jean Alesi and Pedro Diniz
2000 C19 Pedro Diniz and Mika Salo
2001 C20 Nick Heidfeld and Kimi Raikkonen
2002 C21 Nick Heidfeld, Felipe Massa and Heinz Harald Frentzen
2003 C22 Nick Heidfeld Heinz Harald Frentzen
2004 C23 Giancarlo Fisichella and Felipe Massa
2005 C24 Jacques Villeneuve and Felipe Massa
2006 BMW Sauber F1.06 Nick Heidfeld, Jacques Villeneuve and Robert Kubica
2007 BMW Sauber F1.07 Nick Heidfeld, Robert Kubica and Sebastian Vettel
2008 BMW Sauber F1.08 Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica
2009 BMW Sauber F1.09 Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica
2010 C29 Pedro de la Rosa, Nick Heidfeld and Kamui Kobayashi
2011 C30 Kamui Kobayashi, Sergio Pérez and Pedro de la Rosa
2012 C31 Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Pérez
2013 C32 Nico Hülkenberg and Esteban Gutiérrez
2014 C33 Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutiérrez
2015 C34 Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson
