Current Alfa Romeo Racing (formerly Sauber)

Sauber

FIA Entry: Sauber F1 Team
Car 16: Kamui Kobayashi
Car 17: Sergio Perez
Engine: Ferrari V8
Team Principal: Peter Sauber
Technical Director: James Key
Race Engineer Car 16: Francesco Nenci
Race Engineer Car 17:Marco Schupbach

Stats as of end 2010

First Entered 1993
Races Entered 296
Race Wins 1
Pole Positions 1
Fastest Laps 2
Driver World Championships 0
Constructor World Championships 0

The Beginning

Following success in sports car racing Peter Sauber, in collaboration with Mercedes Benz, moved into Formula 1 in 1993. With Ilmor engines Sauber entered the C12 car (the C prefix for Sauber cars coming from Peter Sauber’s wife Christine) driven by Mercedes sports car drivers JJ Lehto and Karl Wendlinger. Lehto finished a creditable 5th in their first race and the cars proved fast but unreliable. When the cars finished they often picked up points with Lehto managing 4th in San Marino and Wendlinger the same placing in Italy.

In 1994 the team became officially Sauber Mercedes as the Ilmor engines were rebadged as Mercedes units. Heinz Harald Frentzen replaced Lehto and the team showed similar pace to the previous season with a number of minor points placings. Wendlinger was replaced, following an accident at Monaco, firstly by Andrea de Cesaris and later in the season by Lehto. Wendlinger’s accident, following closely after the deaths of Senna and Ratzenberger at San Marino, resulted in changes to the design of the cockpit on F1 cars to provide greater head protection in the event of an accident.

Red Bull & Ford

1995 saw Mercedes leave Sauber to supply engines to McLaren. Now armed with Red Bull sponsorship, Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz having bought a stake in the Sauber team, Sauber sourced Ford factory engines. Wendlinger hadn’t recovered well and was replaced early in the season by Jean Christophe Bouillon. Sauber amassed 18 points for the season with Frentzen taking a podium for 3rd in Belgium.

Jonny Herbert partnered Frentzen for 1996 and managed a highest of 3rd at Monaco, with Frentzen 4th, but the team ended the season on their lowest points tally since entering Formula 1 with 11 points

Ferrari Customer

From 1997 to 2005 Sauber used customer Ferrari engines and run under the name of title sponsor Petronas. The tie in with Ferrari extended beyond the supply of engines as Ferrari also provided the Swiss team with technical support.

Jonny Herbert continued with Sauber for 1997 and ’98 and was partnered in ’98 by veteran Jean Alesi. Herbert managed a podiums at Hungary in ’97 and Alesi in Belgium in ’98 but generally Sauber’s performance was fairly ordinary. In 2001 Sauber hired young Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen amidst protest form other teams due to his lack of experience. Raikkonen scored a point on his debut with teammate Nick Heidfeld 4th in the same race. Raikkonen’s appointment also triggered the sale of Red Bull’s stake in Sauber to Credit Suisse as the Austrian drinks company wanted the seat given to Enrique Bernoldi.

Peter Sauber continued to give drives to promising youngsters with Felipe Massa racing for him in 2004 & 2005 and Robert Kubica replacing Jacques Villeneuve in 2006.

BMW Sauber

For 2006 BMW took a controlling interest in the Sauber team and BMW units replaced Ferrari engines. BMW “works” driver Nick Heidfeld returned to Sauber from Williams and the team finished 2nd in the Constructors Championship behind Ferrari (following the exclusion of the McLaren team). Heidfeld scored points in 14 of the 17 races that season. 2007 also saw the first F1 drive for Sebastien Vettel who substituted for Robert Kubica at the race in Indianapolis following the Pole’s crash in Canada.

2008 saw Sauber take their first Grand Prix win with Kubica victorious in Canada and Heidfeld coming home 2nd. The team scored numerous podiums and claimed 3rd spot in the Constructors Championship.

2009 was a disappointing season following the highs of 2008 as Sauber struggled with changes to design regulations. Heidfeld and Kubica both managed a 2nd place each but the team dropped to 6th in the Constructors Championship. By the end of the season BMW decided to pull out of the sport.

Back to Ferrari

Following BMW’s withdrawal Peter Sauber took back control of his team. Re-equipped with Ferrari engines Sauber signed promising young Japanese driver Kamui Kobayshi alongside returning veteran Pedro de la Rosa. Early season reliability problems blighted the team but by the end of the season, and the replacement of de la Rosa with Nick Heidfeld, Sauber began to score points on a regular basis. Kobayshi managed a highest finish of 6th in Britain and the team ended 8th in the Constructors Championship.

2011

Kobayashi stays with Sauber for 2011 alongside Sergio Perez who brings with him some much-needed sponsorship from Mexican Telecoms company Telmex. The C30 chassis continues with a Ferrari engine.
 
*** Off topic ***
Last night I watched Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Drinking Coffee and this car was showcased:

1965-alfa-romeo-giulia-super-6-1000x662.jpg


Jerry:
- Alfa Romeo Giulia Super
- I mean, forget everything
- Don't you just wanna answer that when somebody says: "What kind of car you got"
- An Alfa Romeo Giulia Super

I know I do
 
Given that Alfa Romeo have a legacy in F1 as old as Ferrari and set the Pole, Fastest lap and all 3 podium spots at the first ever World Championship for drivers GP (Britain 1950) then they have a very good case for a history payment.

:whistle:
 
Given that Alfa Romeo have a legacy in F1 as old as Ferrari and set the Pole, Fastest lap and all 3 podium spots at the first ever World Championship for drivers GP (Britain 1950) then they have a very good case for a history payment.

:whistle:

Ferrari were not there due to a wrangle over starting money but despite that the race was a success. They should bear that in mind before making any more threats about leaving.
 
It is certain Maranello is cognizant of its past, place in history, and is fully capable and free to define their own future with, or without pugnacious lectures from sidelines.
 
Have any of you noticed that the snake on the Alfa badge is eating a man? I didn't spot it until I went to the Alfa museum last year, a day out I would recommend to all.
 
I didn’t know that until I watched the episode. According to Alfa Romeo “At first glance, it looks like the snake is eating the human. Instead, the human is coming out of the snake a "new man," purified and renewed.”
 
Is the man purified because of the snake, or because of the car I wonder, and don’t Men and snakes have a bit of a bad vibe going on anyway, as in Adam, Eve, Serpents and apples.
It’s a bit of a strange badge when you stop and consider it.
 
It is certain Maranello is cognizant of its past, place in history, and is fully capable and free to define their own future with, or without pugnacious lectures from sidelines.

If they are so cognisant how come they do not seem to have noticed that probably their longest successful time was when they had an international team all pulling together and stable with no sword of Damaclemes hanging over them.:)
 
If they are so cognisant how come they do not seem to have noticed that probably their longest successful time was when they had an international team all pulling together and stable with no sword of Damaclemes hanging over them.:)
I am not in a position to provide operational analyses of any value on theme what went wrong at Ferrari, nor I would be tempted to do so. My point should have been perhaps expressed more clearly, that I think they have internal capacity and intellect to look back who they are today, and where they want to be tomorrow. External influences such as involvement of Fiat, Sergio Marchionne and many others who were at the table, steering soup, and I doubt it was all helpful at the end. Disruptive influences newer have happy endings. Hybrid technology implementation by FiA was scandalous IMO, but they also know that, and they do not need to hear from me. All what I am suggesting is for us to stay in silence, observing transformation in progress, and remaining still for a while. Teams like McLaren and Willaims on the other hand...
I.
 
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