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F1: Sauber to race new, lightweight chassis in Barcelona

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Khatir Soltani
Swiss Formula 1 team Sauber will race an updated C33 car this weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.

Both C33s of Esteban Gutiérrez and Adrian Sutil will be significantly improved, including an extensive weight reduction and a major aerodynamic update.

Test and reserve driver Giedo van der Garde will again be behind the wheel in FP1 on Friday. Esteban Gutiérrez will take over the C33 in FP2.

“This aero update consists of a modified front wing and a new engine cover, new side-pod fins and deflectors, as well as a number of other aerodynamic changes,” explained Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering at Sauber.

“Besides that, we will also have a software improvement, which will enable us to use the potential of the Ferrari power unit in a better way. We expect a busy Friday at the track while tuning the set-up to the new package,” the Italian engineer continued.

F1 Sauber C33 Ferrari stand
Sauber C33-Ferrari. (Photo: WRi2)

Dall’Ara also talked about Pirelli’s tire choice for this race.

“Making the best use of the tire compounds will also be a challenge, as Pirelli’s choice to allocate medium and hard tires appears to be conservative,” he explained.

“In the past we’ve seen up to four pit stops in Spain. With the changes we have made to the tires this year, we would now hope to see no more than three for the majority of drivers,” declared Paul Hembery, Pirelli director of motorsport.


Khatir Soltani
Khatir Soltani
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