Sauber F1 Votos Opciones

[`]

Comentarios de Coulthard en Autosport sobre el equipo Sauber

Sauber: It's like the Honda/Brawn situation; I imagine BMW are paying for them to keep the operation going. Peter sold his team for a lot, and he's got it back for not very much at all.

Kudos to him for doing it again. It's good to have Pedro de la Rosa back, while Kamui Kobayashi was very impressive on his F1 debut, more so than his junior-category performances. It will be interesting to see if it can replicate its testing form in the heat of battle.

[BITTER]

Creo que este reportaje sobre Pedro y Kamui no se ha puesto. Me ha hecho gracia la anécdota en negrita:

UNLIKELY PAIR READY FOR ACTION

It is strange how life often unfolds, as Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi have both discovered these past few months.

After serving McLaren as test and reserve driver for seven years, and at the age of 38 at the end of last season, De la Rosa must have considered his Formula One days were in the past.

As for Kobayashi, he must have wondered about his future as he had the rug pulled from under his feet when Toyota stunned motorsport by announcing their withdrawal from F1 three days after the season had drawn to a close.

The young Japanese driver, who had finished ninth in Brazil and sixth in Abu Dhabi in his two races deputising for the injured Timo Glock, was poised to be handed a permanent contract such were his dazzlingly aggressive displays.

A few weeks prior to that, De la Rosa and Kobayashi - as members of the reserve drivers' brigade - met and dined together for the first time in a restuarant in Japan.

Given the age gap and personal circumstances, De la Rosa genuinely thought at the time, 'I'm sure I'll never drive alongside this guy in my life'.

As fate has since decreed, De la Rosa was wrong as he and Kobayashi are now team-mates for Sauber, whose eponymous owner Peter never believed he would be a team principal again either.

But after BMW caused their own stir when they announced mid-season they were pulling out of the sport, Sauber refused to let the team he founded in 1993 slip into F1 obscurity.

When BMW bought an 80% share in the team in 2005, Sauber proudly stated for him it was "like walking my daughter down the aisle."

The union, however, lasted a mere four years, and there was very nearly an acrimonious divorce as Sauber became enraged by BMW's demands, before a settlement was finally reached.

Sauber, though, is reluctantly back in the saddle because, by his own admission, the last four years in a low-key advisory role to the team, were a "nice, easy time."

So it is by some strange quirks of fate that Sauber, De la Rosa and Kobayashi find themselves together at a team that will be happy to simply keep its head above water this year.

"This is the beautiful thing about life, everything is a surprise," said De La Rosa, whose last grand prix was in Brazil in 2006.

So maybe the surprises just might keep on coming as a car virtually bereft of sponsors could floor the heavyweights.

Test times are always hard to judge, yet Sauber have been far from lax, suggesting a degree of hope on the horizon.

"I would personally be very disappointed if we don't finish in the points consistently," added De la Rosa.

Such a target is perhaps unrealistic, but the 39-year-old said: "We obviously don't know much about the rate of development.

"But I've this gut feeling when I look at the car, the package and when I work with the people in the team. So let's see if I'm right or wrong.

"Maybe we will exceed expectations, maybe we won't."

There is certainly no disguising the enthusiasm of both drivers for different reasons, De la Rosa basking in his Indian summer and Kobayashi starting out on what he hopes will be a long, successful road.

"It was very clear I had to return to racing, otherwise I would never have gone back," De la Rosa added.

"The fact I was a test driver who didn't drive the car very much during the year was very tough mentally for me because I was not doing what I was born to.

"Now I'm extremely, extremely excited about this opportunity, not just because it's a comeback, but also because it's with a great team.

"It comes to me at a stage of my career where I'm mature enough to appreciate it and to exploit it.

"It is clear to me I have managed to get this drive because of the experience I managed to accumulate with McLaren."

The flip side to De la Rosa's 12 seasons in F1 is Kobayashi's two-race career to date, but the 23-year-old is not the type to be overawed.

"My natural racing style is to be aggressive, which is not special, it's just me," he said. "It will always be this way, of course without crashing. It is my style and I won't change."

Not just Kobayashi, but the team as a whole has no other choice but to be aggressive if they are to enjoy their new life together in F1.

http://www.sportinglife.com/formula1/news/...ual_135120.html

[`]

LA ENTREVISTA


De la Rosa: "Siento como si ya hubiera ganado mi primer Gran Premio"

Corrió su último gran premio en 2006 y desde entonces, trabajando a la sombra en McLaren, Pedro de la Rosa ha luchado por un volante
"Estoy más tranquilo y preparado que cuando tuve que relevar a Montoya deprisa y corriendo en 2005", dice De la Rosa Foto: Marc Casanovas







Josep Viaplana Pedro de la Rosa -39 años- debutará el próximo domingo en un Gran Premio a los mandos de Sauber, un bólido que para muchos puede ser una de las sorpresas de la temporada. A este barcelonés, que no corría una carrera desde el GP de Japón del 2006 y que no iniciaba una campaña desde 2002 con Jaguar, se le ha abierto una nueva perspectiva y quiere aprovechar al máximo la oportunidad que se le presenta.

¿Preparado para iniciar el Mundial de Fórmula 1?

Hemos hecho una buena pretemporada, muy intensa, probando el coche en todo tipo de condiciones. Hemos rodado en tres circuitos diferentes, también con lluvia, y el coche ha sido muy fiable, con lo que sí estamos a punto para empezar. Yo he ido de menos a más. Todavía tengo un poco más para dar, pero me he adaptado bien a un equipo y a un coche nuevo. Estoy contento.

Cuando cogió el coche la primera vez en Valencia dijo que se sentía oxidado...

Ya sabe que el 6x1 hace milagros Al principio, lógicamente, necesitaba kilometraje. Hay que entender que llevaba un año en el que apenas me subí al coche y me refería a eso. Por mucho simulador, entrenamiento en fábrica o pruebas de aerodinámica que hagas no hay nada como conducir un coche verdadero en un circuito y por eso me costó un par de días ponerme a tono. De todas formas, los dos últimos días de pruebas en Barcelona me sentí muy cómodo, fuerte, conduciendo a un buen nivel.

No compite regularmente desde 2002, ya que en 2005 y 2006 lo hizo esporádicamente como sustituto de Montoya en McLaren. ¿Puede acusar esta inactividad inmerso en un Gran Premio?

Lo ideal es estar rodando y haciendo carreras cada fin de semana, pero como yo no corro un Gran Premio desde 2006 tampoco espero hacerlo ahora todo perfecto en Bahrein, pero sí me he propuesto mejorar con el paso de las carreras. Por otro lado, tengo la convicción de llegar todo lo preparado que debía, habiendo ensayado salidas, pitstops o cambios de neumáticos después de haber planificado la pretemporada para mí. De hecho, ahora estoy bastante más tranquilo y preparado que cuando tuve que sustituir a Montoya deprisa y corriendo en 2005 en Bahrein.

Dicen que en la parrilla habrá los cuatro grandes y el resto.

Es probable, pero tampoco estemos tan seguros. Nadie piensa eso, aunque todos lo podamos decir.

Otros dicen que Sauber va a ser la sorpresa, como Jenson Button, el vigente campeón

Ojala que sea así, pero para ello habrá que trabajar mucho. No va a ser tan fácil.

¿Puede repetirse la historia de Brawn GP en el 2009?

La situación no se parece en nada porque el reglamento de este año es el mismo del año pasado y no hay lagunas. Es un reglamento conocido y explotado al cien por cien ya por todos los equipos y, por lo tanto, no habrá un Brawn 2. Sin embargo, si que estoy muy orgulloso de mi equipo porque hace unos meses no tenía licencia para correr, este invierno ha pasado por una incertidumbre bestial y con todo ello ha conseguido hacer un coche que me permitirá luchar. No sé si contra los cuatro primeros, pero estamos en un momento en el que dependemos de nosotros mismos y de cuánto podamos desarrollar el coche. Es un momento muy interesante porque tengo un coche que es mejor de lo que esperaba y me va a permitir divertirme mucho más.

¿El primer éxito de la temporada para usted es estar en la parrilla de Bahrein?

Para mí es muy importante estar en Bahrein, haber conseguido volver a competir... estoy muy orgulloso de haberlo logrado y más con un equipo y un coche como el que tengo. Siento como si ya hubiera ganado mi primer Gran Premio, como si se tratara de mi primera victoria.

Dice que el reglamento está muy claro, que no habrá situaciones polémicas como el famoso doble difusor, pero se especula que en la primera carrera habrá sorpresas importantes ¿Puede haber una revolución en Bahrein?

Habrá una evolución y todos los equipos traerán pequeñas mejoras, pero no creo que haya un equipo que traiga un paquete revolucionario porque no te puedes permitir el lujo de no probarlo. Además, todos los equipos probamos en Barcelona el coche lo más parecido posible a Bahrein, tanto en calificación como en carrera.

¿Quién llega mejor preparado al primer gran premio del año?

Ferrari. Ellos y Red Bull son los equipos a batir y han estado escondiendo sus cartas.

¿Cómo se esconden las cartas...?

Con kilos. En la Fórmula 1 puedes maquillar el tiempo de la manera que quieras, sobre todo a más lento, metiendo en el coche 20 kilos de más, lo que en Barcelona, por ejemplo, significa ser 7 décimas por vuelta más lento. En esas condiciones nadie sabe dónde estás y tú sí sabes que a tus tiempos le tienes que restar esas 7 décimas para situarte en la posición real de la parrilla. Eso, sin embargo, sólo lo hacen los equipos que saben que tienen mucha ventaja. Otros, como es nuestro caso, debemos explotar nuestras cartas desde el minuto 1.

¿Estamos ante una temporada verdaderamente apasionante?

Va a ser un año espectacular. La calidad de la parrilla a nivel de pilotaje este año es la más alta de la historia de la Fórmula 1. Con Fernando, Schumacher, Hamilton, Button y con un grupo de pilotos y equipos brutal, con más de media docena de coches con capacidad para ganar una carrera. Los equipos nuevos es otra cosa, pero tampoco se les puede pedir que en seis meses hagan lo que otros han conseguido en treinta años.

La situación financiera de Sauber es complicada, como ha quedado en evidencia durante la pretemporada con el coche absolutamente blanco, ¿Se evoluciona el C29? ¿Hay mucha diferencia entre el que estrenó en Valencia al que conducirá en Bahrein?

El equipo está evolucionando el coche y en el aspecto aerodinámico se han introducido muchas mejoras, que aumentarán en Bahrein. Con un presupuesto muy ajustado, el equipo está haciendo un esfuerzo abismal para poder evolucionar el coche carrera a carrera. Sin embargo, el hecho de que tengamos menos patrocinio o recursos que Ferrari nos motiva a desarrollar el coche porque sabemos que con resultados llegarán los patrocinadores y por eso, a todos los niveles, todos estamos haciendo un esfuerzo tan grande.

La respuesta del público ha sido impresionante en los test, con una presencia masiva en las pruebas de Valencia, Jerez y Barcelona ¿Se ha redescubierto la F1?

La gente cada vez entiende más de Fórmula 1 y le gusta más. La F1 es un deporte difícil de entender, pero una vez que la gente se ha metido en ella y descubre lo apasionante que es se engancha. Para mí lo más importante es que en Barcelona, sin pilotos españoles en pista, había más de veinte mil aficionados en el circuito. El entusiasmo y la ilusión que se ha generado este año no los había visto nunca, era absolutamente inimaginable hacer colas en un día de entrenamientos.

¿Se vive una segunda edición de la Alonsomanía?

Es fantástico que haya otra vez este 'boom' por Fernando y que él esté en un equipo tan bueno y tan competitivo como Ferrari, ya que ello significa que él va a tirar del carro, que va a generar expectación y todos nos aprovecharemos de ello. Siempre he tenido claro que este boom de Alonso nos beneficia a todos.

¿Se imagina una batalla por el título Alonso-Hamilton, Ferrari-McLaren?

Puede ser perfectamente. Sólo espero que en esa batalla pueda meter el morro, pero estos duelos son muy buenos para la F1. La rivalidad levanta pasiones y para el deporte es muy positivo que exista. Y si a ese duelo se añade Schumacher aún será mejor. La gente no quiere que los pilotos nos echemos flores, que seamos amigos y vayamos a todas partes juntos, sino que los aficionados quieren lucha, enemistades, fricción fuera y dentro de las pistas. Todo ello da ambiente y sube la pasión.



http://www.sport.es/default.asp?idpublicac...dseccio_PK=1269

[Placis]

¿Posible cambio de nombre?

Via Twitter BMWF1Talk BMW Sauber to be renamed Sauber Motorsport, logo unveiled http://bit.ly/9ZuNMt

[`]

aqui nos enteramos algo mas rapido
http://www.pedrodelarosa.com/foro/index.ph...st&p=267782

[KIT]

Via Twitter BMWF1Talk BMW Sauber to be renamed Sauber Motorsport, logo unveiled http://bit.ly/9ZuNMt

Pues me gusta eso de "SAUBER MOTORSPORT" ... eso sí estoy acostumbrado a ver un color azul cielo o aturquesado sobre la "S" de Sauber.

[`]

Exclusive Kobayashi Q&A: With luck, we can fight for podiums
BMW Saubers Kamui Kobayashi may look like hes just stepped out of Tokyos trend-setting Shibuya district, but hes also a determined racer, keen to make an excellent impression as he embarks on his first complete season. After muscling his way onto everyones radar with two sparkling performances last year as a stand-in for an injured Timo Glock at Toyota, watching Kobayashi in Bahrain will be a treat indeed

Q: Kamui, you are about to embark on your first full Formula One season as a fully-fledged race driver. The outfit you are wearing seems to suggest youre going to become a real trendsetter in the paddock
Kobayashi: I started karting when I was nine years-old and ever since then I have wanted to be in Formula One. It was always my dream. As for my outfit, I never like to follow anybody. I am always looking to create my own style. If you want to reach the top in anything, you have to be true to yourself.

Q: Testing is over. How have your pre-season preparations progressed?
KK: Well, we have been pretty good. The two Jerez weeks were not ideal, but it was the same for everybody. The Barcelona test compensated a bit and we were able to proceed with our programme. We are not surprised about the pace that the car has and how good it is compared to the others. Well see in Bahrain. What makes me confident is that we havent struggled with anything in particular.

Q: How have your preparations this year differed to your preparations for GP2?
KK: Well, the biggest difference is the people. So many more people work for an F1 team compared to a GP2 team. On the car side its the ability to make many changes to the set-up. A GP2 car has a much simpler design. Formula One is so professional and that means I also have to raise the bar in terms of my professionalism. I can say that the four tests have given me a lot of experience. Before you could be good one day, and not so good the next, and it wouldnt have such a dramatic impact. In F1 you have to be good all the time - its the pinnacle of motorsport!

Q: Has it been more physically demanding?
KK: No, I havent had any problems with my physical fitness. Last year when I did those two races for Toyota, I had not been in an F1 car for eight months - and I still didnt have a problem. I may have felt the race distance a bit in Brazil, but in Abu Dhabi everything worked well. I feel very good at the moment. Of course you have to keep up a high standard of physical fitness and that is what I am doing.

Q: What has surprised you the most during testing?
KK: Maybe the level of intensity is greater - and the ambition to do well.

Q: Have you been satisfied with your performances?
KK: Yes, very satisfied. I hope that the team say the same about me as well!

Q: Your team mate Pedro de la Rosa is very experienced. How are you getting on?
KK: Pedro is a good team mate. Its funny because last year we went out for dinner together a few times, when there were no plans that we would team up together. Now that we are team mates it works very well. We both communicate very well together and he is also a driver that can interact with the team very well. I am really happy to have him as my team mate. He has a lot of experience, but it is not that alone - he is a very nice guy. We sit down and talk with the team about our experiences in the car. With so little testing you have to share all the information if you want to bring the team forward.

Q: Many drivers believe the BMW Sauber is looking strong
KK: Probably! Hopefully! We need to score points so P8 or P9 will not do. We have to try to occupy the positions just after the podium, and if we are lucky sometimes even the podium itself. We have to fight with everybody - especially the top four teams. If you dont fight with them, how will you ever catch them?

Q: What are your thoughts ahead of the Bahrain race?
KK: I have been waiting for this opportunity for two years. This is now my chance, and Im going to take it!

Q: Do you feel that this is the start of a long Formula One career?
KK: I think so.

[`]

por cierto esta registrado

Domain name:
sauber-motorsport.ch

Holder of domain name:
BMW Sauber AG
Furrer Peter
IT-Department
Wildbachstrasse 9
CH-8340 Hinwil
Switzerland
Contractual Language: German

Technical contact:
BMW Sauber AG
Furrer Peter
IT-Department
Wildbachstrasse 9
CH-8340 Hinwil
Switzerland

DNSSEC:N

Name servers:
ns1.ip-plus.net
ns2.ip-plus.net

y el actual
Domain name:
bmw-sauber-f1-team.ch

Holder of domain name:
BMW Sauber AG
Furrer Peter
IT-Department
Wildbachstrasse 9
CH-8340 Hinwil
Switzerland
Contractual Language: German

Technical contact:
BMW Sauber AG
Furrer Peter
IT-Department
Wildbachstrasse 9
CH-8340 Hinwil
Switzerland

DNSSEC:N

Name servers:
ns1.ip-plus.net
ns2.ip-plus.net

(iguales)

[KIT]

Q: Your team mate Pedro de la Rosa is very experienced. How are you getting on?
KK: Pedro is a good team mate. Its funny because last year we went out for dinner together a few times, when there were no plans that we would team up together. Now that we are team mates it works very well. We both communicate very well together and he is also a driver that can interact with the team very well. I am really happy to have him as my team mate. He has a lot of experience, but it is not that alone - he is a very nice guy. We sit down and talk with the team about our experiences in the car. With so little testing you have to share all the information if you want to bring the team forward.

;)

[`]

Update: Heres what the team had to say: Sauber Motorsport is the name of the company. The name of the team is unchanged: BMW Sauber F1 Team. Doesnt seem to rule out a change in the future.

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2010/03/08/bmw-...ber-motorsport/

[tenista]

Muchas gracias Yossi, por las entrevistas.

Como, Pedro, nosotros tambien estamos impacientes.

[Micho]

Pues teniendo el nombre, "solo" nos hacen falta algunos patrocinadores que pongan algo de money, y listo. Bueno, y un piloto reserva, que no se a que estan esperando para presentar a alguno.

[monza2001]

Pedro y Kobayashi se lo van a pasar este año ....

Que ganas de que empiece todo. Yo sigo pensando que el viernes veremos sorpresita en Sauber.

Saludos

[`]

http://media.bmw-sauber-f1-team.ch/index.p...oto/show/id/322

Veremos nuevos colores de Sauber en Bahrain con algun nuevo sponsor? en un par de dias lo sabremos...

[`]

Gené

Pedro Martínez de la Rosa, que se baja al ruedo ¿Cómo le ves?
- Se ha hecho justicia con él, que es lo importante. Está feliz, es lo que él realmente quería. Nunca desistió en confiar en sus posibilidades y es un referente para mucha gente, porque nunca debes darte por vencido. Está súper motivado, el coche va bien, de hecho el Sauber es el coche más rápido después de los cuatro grandes, con lo cual le veo puntuando asiduamente y, por qué no, intentando optar a algún pódium. No va a ser fácil, pero podría ser.

[`]

Del guardian


F1 2010: Sauber team guide
Reliable, technically polished and competent, Sauber are unlikely to perform below bar at this year's Formula One championships





[b]In the black white corner[/b]
Technically polished and competent, Sauber are as conservative as a Swiss bank and hopefully just as reliable. Team boss Peter Sauber knows a thing or two about business. In 2006 he sold an 80% stake in his team to BMW for a rumoured $300m. At the end of last year they virtually paid him to take it back again. It was that or making more than 500 staff redundant.


[b]Highs and lows of 2009[/b]
Generally rather poor, the team having misread the legality of the double diffuser aerodynamic tweak which served the likes of Brawn, Williams and Toyota so well. But right at the end of the season they introduced a modified car with a new gearbox and revised aerodynamics in which Robert Kubica flew to second place behind Mark Webber's Red Bull in Brazil.


[b]Just don't mention[/b]
Peter Sauber has a secret vice: he smokes cigars. Fancy the law in Switzerland permitting such things. Probably a secret Toblerone addict as well.


[b]Change is good[/b]
Should adapt well to the new rules after all the team have been competing in F1 since 1993. Having to switch from BMW to leased Ferrari engines after the Munich brigade failed to throw them in with the redundancy deal. Shrewd and dependable, they could be one of the season's big surprises.


[b]Stands out in a crowd[/b]
A quietly unobtrusive efficiency which mirrors the personality of the owner. Can also claim to have brought Michael Schumacher to international prominence when the seven-times world champion drove their Mercedes-engined sports cars in endurance races in the early 1990s.


[b]Most likely to crash into[/b]
Not even mildly funny as far as these guys are concerned. Their driver Karl Wendlinger was in a coma for more than a week after shunting in practice for the 1994 Monaco grand prix. The entire paddock held its breath for him and Peter Sauber and he eventually made a full recovery.


[b]Pitboard message[/b]
Come on, Pedro. There's one of those nice McLarens you helped develop just ahead of you


[b]Who pulls the strings[/b]
Technical director Willy Rampf stepped down on the eve of the season, his role being taken by the former Force India tech supremo James Key.


[b]Cockpit compatibility[/b]
This should be good. De la Rosa is one of the nicest guys in the paddock, turning his back on his long-time role as McLaren test driver to get back on the grid after starting nine grands prix since 2003. Quick, precise and knowledgeable, he will be the ideal foil for the young Kamui Kobayashi who dazzled the sport in his two races for Toyota at the end of last year.


[b]What's in the boot[/b]
A Ferrari V8, which theoretically will be the same as those used by Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa in the factory cars from Maranello. Might not be quite as quick since previous suppliers BMW decided to pack their bags and head home to Munich. Or the rival Mercedes V8s powering six cars on the grid.


[b]Tiger in the tank[/b]
Ready nice and early for all the pre-season tests and ran reliably apart from the hot exhaust pipes scorching the rear bodywork which called for some hurried modifications. Generally quite quick and mechanically reliable straight out of the box.


[b]Tweet this[/b]
Pedro, beats slogging away on the McLaren simulator, doesn't it?


[b]Not this[/b]
Kamui, did you have any trouble with the brakes at Toyota?


Title odds
33-1


If they were an iPhone app
Ferrari Sound

Genuinely sounds like a Ferrari and for anyone in a blindfold playing name that vroom it would be easy to mistake it for a prancing horse. But take off the blinkers and you see how your ears can deceive you a cheap substitute, talking loud but saying nothing. It is the audio equivalent of buying a top marque's keyring for a Transit, allowing the sad to co-opt a batsqueak of reflected glory but ultimately fooling no one but themselves.


[b]The drivers[/b]
1. Kamui Kobayashi, 23, Japan

He's the one who

Is not as nice as he looks. The son of a sushi chef who was resigned to heading back to his father's restaurant before getting a locum spot with Toyota. Lit up the last two races of the 2009 season when his naked aggression made Jenson Button call him 'absolutely crazy' fairly admiringly. Some fans hail him as a saviour, critics as Cowboyashi.

On track for

In the most impressive mid-season Formula One debut for years he cannily kept Button behind him in Brazil for ages, then took sixth in Abu Dhabi. Excellent racecraft and fearless character promise great things and a few hairy ones, too.

In another life he'd be

Brian Cohen worshipped as the Messiah by some, dubbed a naughty boy by others.

2. Pedro de la Rosa

He's the one who

Is the ultimate boring team's competent, diligent and vest-tucked-into-Y-fronts safe pair of hands. Technically accomplished, he comes across as half-driver-half-Haynes-manual but patriotic Spanish fans will get behind him as well as Fernando Alonso, rather like Beatles' fans got behind George and Ringo as well as the more mesmerising front men.

On track for

Sat out the past seven years as McLaren's test driver, nine races as Juan Pablo Montoya's locum apart. Heads the driver's union and offers Sauber the leadership skills, trade secrets and discipline to shape the team's ethos for its rebirth.

In another life he'd be

The Spanish James May old school, punctilious, nerdish and nicer but not as quick as the others.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/mar/0...uber-team-guide

[850 coupé]

and nicer but not as quick as the others.

Eso lo vamos a ver.
Seguro que, en su momento se dijeron cosas peores de Mansell o D. Hill.

Ahora una confesion: estoy aterrado... y eso que todavia no he empezado a apostar a troche y moche con los colegas!

[`]

Tyre advantage boosts Sauber's hopes

By Jonathan Noble and Glenn Freeman Tuesday, March 9th 2010, 12:00 GMT
BMW Sauber has a real chance of becoming a thorn in the side of Formula 1's 'big four' teams this year because its car is so good at looking after its tyres, Bridgestone analysis has revealed.

With the Swiss-outfit's C29 having already shown some strong pace in pre-season testing, the team's hopes of delivering some surprise results are boosted by the fact that early data reveals it suffers less tyre degradation than Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull Racing and Mercedes GP.

That ability to look after its tyre could prove crucial on two fronts this season - by first of all allowing the team to use a softer tyre than its rivals in Q3, but also in delivering it greater consistency over the course of a race when there will be a premium on looking after the rubber now that refuelling is banned.

Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone's director of motorsport tyre development, says there is little separating the big four teams in terms of tyre degradation but Sauber is a different case.

"We have compared many teams' data and looking at the quick [four] teams their degradation tendency is very, very similar," he told AUTOSPORT. "Once they have the 150kg start weight, with both the medium and soft compound, then there is little difference so we could expect a very close pace. However, Sauber is more consistent."

Although this weekend's race is Bahrain will not be too punishing on the tyre front, Hamashima believes the difference between Sauber and the other teams is enough to offer the outfit strategy options that others do not have.

When asked if there was a chance for Sauber to opt for more marginal tyres than their rivals to help boost qualifying performance, Hamashima said: "Yes, it is possible.

"With an easy car, you can have the possibility to do that. Somewhere like Barcelona will be very interesting because the circuit is severe and the softer tyre may only be good to get one lap time before suffering big degradation in the race.

"But even places like Monaco and Bahrain, which are very, very easy on tyres, the specification that shows the best lap time should be the best race tyre which could make it interesting as well."

BMW Sauber's technical chief Willy Rampf acknowledged that the C29's tyre performance was one of its main strengths.

"The car doesn't have any stability problems, and its performance and balance on high fuel loads is a strong point," he told AUTOSPORT in an interview. "We will build on this it's a very good thing. Our car is not too heavy on its tyres, so we can do reasonable long stints without killing them.

"That will help keep the strategies more flexible, if you're not forced to stop by tyre wear."

Hamashima also believed that the competitiveness at the front of the field had closed up in the final pre-season test at Barcelona, as McLaren and Red Bull Racing delivered car improvements.

"At the first three tests, Ferrari it seemed had a little bit of an advantage over one lap. However, in Barcelona, McLaren and Red Bull used their latest cars and the picture was very mixed. It's now very difficult to judge."

[`]

BMW's loss, Sauber's gain As the Sauber team returns to Formula 1 five years after selling out to BMW, Glenn Freeman explains why the German manufacturer's parting gift to the Swiss outfit could be a delightfully competitive car

By Glenn Freeman AUTOSPORT International news editor After all of the turmoil caused by BMW's withdrawal last winter, it appears that the German manufacturer might have left the Sauber outfit it took over at the end of 2005 with a nice parting gift.

The C29 may not look pretty, but it has enabled the team, which is now back under the ownership of its founder Peter Sauber, to pick up where it left off five years ago, by getting on with an efficient if not astounding pre-season test programme.

On the surface, it almost looks as if the BMW era never happened. Yes, by a bizarre twist the team will compete this year as 'BMW Sauber-Ferrari', but it is an independent again, and with its drivers quietly nestled in 11th and 12th overall by the end of last week's test at Barcelona, it seems that normal midfield service has been resumed.

But there might just be more to it.

After all, it's easy to forget that this car is essentially the result of BMW's enormous efforts that also got the team back on the pace during 2009. So with a bit of a look at the pace of each car over its race simulations, and by gauging the mood in the camp, there's a strong feeling that Sauber won't just slot straight back into the midfield.

"The mood is positive because we had to develop this car in conditions of uncertainty," says the team's technical director Willy Rampf, who is preparing to step aside when James Key joins from Force India next month. "I don't think the teams are far apart, and with the performance we could show we are happy."

The main strength of this year's Sauber appears to be its ability to be so kind on its tyres.

As we prepare for a season during which tyre wear once again becomes the deciding factor in race strategies, Rampf is aware of what a powerful weapon the C29 will become as races develop on a Sunday afternoon.

Pedro de la Rosa tests the BMW Sauber at Valencia © LAT "The car doesn't have any stability problems, and its performance and balance on high fuel loads is a strong point," he says. "We will build on this it's a very good thing. Our car is not too heavy on its tyres, so we can do reasonable long stints without killing them.

"That will help keep the strategies more flexible, if you're not forced to stop by tyre wear."

The performance of Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi in testing has prompted Bridgestone to suggest that Sauber could be one of the only teams to get away with using the softer tyre in Q3 on a Saturday, without compromising its first stint of the race.

It all points towards a very positive picture, more like the one BMW was painting when it achieved its goal of winning a race in 2008. That suggests that the team is picking up where it left off at the end of that season, but Rampf believes the reborn outfit is merely continuing the recovery from its disastrous start to last year.

"In 2008 we had a very competitive car, and we had a lot of resources," he says. "But I think what we see now is a continuation of the work done at the end of 2009. We put a lot of effort in with updates for Valencia and Singapore, which were meant to give us a good baseline car to build on for this year. I think we were able to build on those gains that we made."

It sounds simple a manufacturer pulls out, leaving behind a heavily developed car that the independent team then just has to put on the track. But as Rampf points out, just getting to a stage where Sauber was ready to show up for winter testing was a mammoth task, and that's before you take into account the frantic pace of development in F1.

"It has been very difficult to get everything onto the track," he says. "We have less people, less windtunnel hours, less budget available to make parts.

"Everybody has had to focus on the components how much do they bring, how much do they cost? We cannot do everything. Overall it has worked out quite well, because all of the components we have brought are on the car now.

"We also had to change the engine and gearbox [after the switch from BMW to Ferrari power], so it was quite a lot of extra effort. The gearbox includes suspension attachments, so the first concept we had, we had to change. That cost us some time."

Rampf almost breathes a sigh of relief when he explains that every development that has been put on the car since testing started has added performance, thereby justifying the initial expense in getting new parts ready in such a hurry.

Aerodynamic detail on the front wing of the BMW Sauber © Sutton "We were able to bring new parts from the windtunnel and tune the car accordingly," he adds. "We have developed well with a combination of aero parts and mechanical setup. We did not bring five things and have to scrap four of them, the correlation with the windtunnel has been very good."

As with every team on the grid, Sauber has focused heavily on reliability in this year's condensed testing programme. The results look relatively positive on that front, with Rampf suggesting that the mechanical gremlins that crept in at Barcelona were purely down to the team running parts beyond their recommended mileage.

He's also been very impressed with de la Rosa, who got the nod to be the team's experienced hand over Nick Heidfeld.

"Pedro is very precise, very good and very consistent," he says. "He can do the same performance any time. He filters out tyre performance, so he knows when he's losing time because of tyre wear and not aero performance. Hes very good to work with."

It's easy to draw parallels with Sauber's plight over the winter and that of Brawn GP from this time last year. While it hasn't all been quite so last-minute, a white sponsorless car turning up at testing can't help but beg the question of can this team pull off a similar surprise? Unfortunately, Rampf pours flames on those suggestions.

"I don't see it happening," he says. "There's no huge invention, or different concepts like last year. There are no teams going in drastic directions, no double diffusers, no KERS. Brawn did a very good job last year, but here we have limitation with the budget. We have defined what we have for Bahrain, so we can go back to the windtunnel and see what else we can add to it."

How measured. How very Sauber.

[rvalca]

que gran artículo!!! gracias