How good is the new Sauber C44?: Fans can’t expect miracles

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The Sauber C44 is a cuckoo child for James Key. When the new technical director started working in Hinwil on September 1, 2023, the course for the 2024 car had already been mapped out.

But Key is lucky, because his predecessor had the same vision. This required a new monocoque. The heart of the car was rebuilt to accommodate an all-new front suspension. Sauber now relies on tension springs instead of compression struts: the concept is crazy for the suspension itself, but much better for the aerodynamics. Key used the same concept at McLaren.

The roll bar was also set early. There, Sauber turned away from the idiosyncratic solution with several small cooling openings and opted for a conventional variant with a large oval in which several shafts are embedded.

Clean as Red Bull

Key was able to exert a greater influence on the aerodynamic shapes of the body. Sauber continues to pursue the successful Red Bull concept of recent years, but much more aggressively than before. The sidepod openings have been reduced to a small slot at the top, and the contours of the radiator and hood are much more detailed.

Key by key is finding the right ground clearance. There are many achievements buried here that could not be exploited in 2023. But even if it does, the C44 is a good step, but fans still shouldn’t expect miracles after Zhou’s third-place finish on the show Friday during testing in Bahrain. The team in Hinwil is simply too small for that.

Source : Blick