(Sauber F1 Team)
The Sauber F1 Team are all set and ready to go Down Under for the first race of the 2014 Formula One season in Albert Park, Melbourne.
This season sees Adrian Sutil join Esteban Gutierrez at the Swiss based team after affectively trading places with Nico Hulkenberg who has returned to Sahara Force India. Sauber will once again be powered by a supply of Ferrari engines and were happy with the progress of the new 1.6litre V6 turbocharged engine.
The teams head of Track Engineering Giampaolo Dall'Ara stated that on the one hand the team has done a good job on the operational and reliability side however he also said that the team were not happy with the performance level of the C33.
He believes that engine management will place a crucial role in the opening race of the season and he hopes that the team will be able to give their drivers a car that will enable them to compete where they deserve to be.
In relation to Pirelli, Dall'Ara has said that he believes that the Italian tyre supplier has gone down the conservative road in their approach to the first race as they have elected to take the Medium and Hard compound tyre to Melbourne.
Adrian Sutil, who briefly led last season's race for Force India before eventually finishing the race in 7th place picking up points on his return to F1 has said that it is always exciting to start the season in Melbourne and the Albert Park circuit is always good for a surprise.
The German believes that it will be lottery as to who finishes the race at the front and is happy that Sauber were able to spend a considerable amount of time over winter testing working on fuel saving as teams are restricted to running their cars with 100 Kilo's of fuel during the race.
The team had a number of issues with their new car during testing one of which was getting to grips with the new brake by wire system which has been introduced for this season.
Esteban Gutierrez has said that it is special to be returning to Melbourne as it is where he made his Formula One debut last season. He has also said that his primary job is to get the most out of the tools that he has been given. The Mexican admitted that it was a challenge getting to grips with the new regulations but is looking forward to the race as the fans in Melbourne as very enthusiastic.
At last years race Sauber endured a difficult day as Nico Hulkenberg failed to start the race due to a problem with his engine. Gutierrez finished the race in 13th place albeit one lap down.
The Swiss based team will be hoping for a better race next weekend and with all the regulation changes this season it is going to be extremely unpredictable as to what the outcome of the race will be.
It has been a busy winter for Sauber as not only have they been preparing for the upcoming season with the development of the new car but they have also signed former Caterham driver Giedo Van Der Garde who will drive for the team in a number of Friday practice sessions as well as during in season testing.
The team have also signed former IndyCar driver Simona De Silvestro as an affiliated driver with the aim of helping the Swiss driver to complete her dream are competing in a Grand Prix.
©Ben Johnston 2014
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