Video: First look at Sauber F1’s 2017 car in action

Sauber F1 has released exclusive video footage of its brand new Sauber C360-Ferrai, ahead of the 2017 Formula One World Championship.

The team’s new car hit the race track for the first at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain, with drivers Marcus Ericsson and Pascal Wehrlein in the driving seat.

The Sauber C36-Ferrari has been redesigned from scratch due to the new technical regulations. There is not a single part that could be adopted from its C35 predecessos, new technical director Jörg Zander said.

Zander returns to the Swiss team after having worked there from 2006 to 2007 as chief designer for the BMW Sauber F1 Team.

He said “The cars are becoming wider again, from 1.80 to 2 metres, the tyres are 25% wider, the front and rear wings are becoming wider as well, plus the diffuser is being enlarged. In total, this means more downforce, more grip and, as a result, faster lap times.”

Consequently, work on the concept of the new car was focused on reducing the drag coefficient (due to the wider tyres) to a minimum as well as achieving a significant weight reduction, for instance by means of the new roll structure.

In certain areas of lightweight design the team went to the limits. The aero concept includes the optimisation of the front and rear wings and the underfloor. The radiator, the sidepods and the bodywork were designed to be as slim as possible. Clear progress was also achieved in terms of additional downforce. The key here is to keep downforce, which is generated via driving, and remain stable in various track sections. Jörg Zander explains the changes in the development procedure in more precise terms: “We put greater emphasis on aerodynamic stability as opposed to maximising downforce.”

One of the changes this season is that only four of the six units of a powertrain can be changed without penalty. In the next few years the number will be further reduced, which is why the manufacturers are going to put greater emphasis on the durability than on the top speed of their units.

Under new ownership the Sauber Group has the chance of a new beginning and can establish itself and can create a solid basis for a competitive and successful future. Team Principal and chief executive Monisha Kaltenborn said: “Together with Longbow Finance S. A., we have great opportunites to be competitive again and to return to previous successes in Formula One. We want to position ourselves with a new approach, and we have already taken the first steps in order to build a solid foundation for the future.”