Sauber
No 1No 2No 3No 4
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FACT FILEAlso Known as: Sauber F1Nationality: SwissCurrent Drivers: P de la Rosa, K KobayashiIn F1 since: 1993
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FACT FILEDriver Championships: NAConstructor Championships: NABest season result: 4Races won: NA
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FACT FILEFastest laps: NAPole qualifications: NACompleted races: 70Team Principal: Peter Sauber
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FACT FILECurrent Points: 31Current Standing: 4
Sauber is a team that made a comeback after four years. Though the team never left as such from the sport, BMW was the major share holder till the end of 2009. From 2006 till 2009, the team competed in Formula one as BMW Sauber. In those four years, 2008 was the only year the team saw any success. Robert Kubica took the underdogs to the title contender status with a victory at Canada and nine podiums overall finishing third with 135 points that season.
Sauber entered F1 in1993 with a tie-up with Mercedes. The team managed a scoring finish in their first Grand Prix with J.J. Lehto taking fifth in South Africa. They finished the season sixth with twelve points overall.
In 1995, the team earned its first podium with Heinz-Harald Frentzen finishing third at Monza. In 2000, Sauber finished eighth in the constructors' championship with only six points. The highest finishes were two fifth places in Germany and Monaco. Both cars were withdrawn from the Brazilian Grand Prix after spectacular rear wing failures. 2001 was a much more worthwhile season with the team finishing fourth in the standings.
2003 proved to be a very difficult season, with points at only five races. The team's best result was at Indianapolis where Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished third and Nick Heidfeld fifth. For the first time, the team led a Grand Prix. The team finished sixth and decided to drop both drivers.
The team reaped the rewards from a major wind tunnel investment gaining an impressively consistent 2004 season. With 12 points, Sauber finished sixth on the board.
In 2005, Peter Sauber announced that he is stepping down as team principal after negotiating a takeover by BMW for 2006.
In 2007, BMW Sauber was able to occupy the 'best of the rest' slot behind Ferrari and McLaren, scoring in all 17 races, including two podiums. Heidfeld proved the dominant driver, but despite a brutal accident in Canada, Kubica also recorded several strong finishes.
2008 was the year the team really made its presence felt. Robert Kubica in his radical F 1.08, took the underdogs to the title contender status with a victory at Canada and nine podiums overall finishing third with 135 points that season.
In 2009, BMW decided to pull out after it was unable to replicate the previous year's success. Founder Peter Sauber rescued the team from being dissolved completely following the pullout.
2010 too wasn't a good year for Sauber. After suffering initial reliability disappointments, the team slowly improved and managed to surpass Toro Rosso in the standings which is no great feat.
With 2011 at the doors, is the team ready to wake up from the limbo and return to be the challenger it once was? Or will it continue the slump and slip lower than Toro Rosso and maybe even the new teams?
Sauber entered F1 in1993 with a tie-up with Mercedes. The team managed a scoring finish in their first Grand Prix with J.J. Lehto taking fifth in South Africa. They finished the season sixth with twelve points overall.
In 1995, the team earned its first podium with Heinz-Harald Frentzen finishing third at Monza. In 2000, Sauber finished eighth in the constructors' championship with only six points. The highest finishes were two fifth places in Germany and Monaco. Both cars were withdrawn from the Brazilian Grand Prix after spectacular rear wing failures. 2001 was a much more worthwhile season with the team finishing fourth in the standings.
2003 proved to be a very difficult season, with points at only five races. The team's best result was at Indianapolis where Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished third and Nick Heidfeld fifth. For the first time, the team led a Grand Prix. The team finished sixth and decided to drop both drivers.
The team reaped the rewards from a major wind tunnel investment gaining an impressively consistent 2004 season. With 12 points, Sauber finished sixth on the board.
In 2005, Peter Sauber announced that he is stepping down as team principal after negotiating a takeover by BMW for 2006.
In 2007, BMW Sauber was able to occupy the 'best of the rest' slot behind Ferrari and McLaren, scoring in all 17 races, including two podiums. Heidfeld proved the dominant driver, but despite a brutal accident in Canada, Kubica also recorded several strong finishes.
2008 was the year the team really made its presence felt. Robert Kubica in his radical F 1.08, took the underdogs to the title contender status with a victory at Canada and nine podiums overall finishing third with 135 points that season.
In 2009, BMW decided to pull out after it was unable to replicate the previous year's success. Founder Peter Sauber rescued the team from being dissolved completely following the pullout.
2010 too wasn't a good year for Sauber. After suffering initial reliability disappointments, the team slowly improved and managed to surpass Toro Rosso in the standings which is no great feat.
With 2011 at the doors, is the team ready to wake up from the limbo and return to be the challenger it once was? Or will it continue the slump and slip lower than Toro Rosso and maybe even the new teams?
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