Sauber C32 Launch

  • Thread starter Tom
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Was wondering what everyone was talking about, then I saw the profile... Yowza... that's a sexy looking car.

Inasmuch as any car built to a very specific ruleset can look sexier than another car built to the same specific ruleset, the Sauber is pretty darn pretty.

Now if only looks could win races... :lol:
 

Now if only looks could win races... :lol:

Wet conditions, Hulkenburg...could be worth a punt ;)

Especially as Nurburgring is back on the schedule - Hulk was always supremely dominant there in junior categories but has yet to race their in F1. I've been patiently waiting for this to happen to see if he pulls something magic.
 
Wet conditions, Hulkenburg...could be worth a punt ;)

Especially as Nurburgring is back on the schedule - Hulk was always supremely dominant there in junior categories but has yet to race their in F1. I've been patiently waiting for this to happen to see if he pulls something magic.

I'd be happy to put a bet on him winning in Brazil, providing the car is competitive like last year. One pole position in 2010 and one 'almost a win' race in 2012. He's undeniably quick in Brazil, he seems to have a knack for that circuit that no other driver can match.
 
Looks much better than the car last year, but if the carbon grey was replaced with black it would be one sexy livery. That stepped nose seems a bit weird though, with the side profile covering it up.
 
Gorgeous car.

Hope they can get a few more podiums this year. And even that elusive first win for an independent Sauber.
 
Speaking of the livery, I don't like that white angle over the sidepods. It goes in the opposite direction to the lines of the car, and fills up a space that would be better-suited to a sponsor decal.
 
I love it, hopefully Hulk can pull out some giant-killing performances. I'm not expecting very much from Gutierrez though, he has yet to show he deserves to be in F1, especially with Robin Frijns in the reserve role.
 
I'm not expecting very much from Gutierrez though, he has yet to show he deserves to be in F1
He won the 2010 GP3 Series title, and he placed third in the 2012 GP2 Series season, scoring three wins and four podiums. He probably deserves to be in Formula 1 more than any other rookie driver (except maybe Bottas).

All people seem to remember about Gutierrez was the episode at Silverstone when he fishtailed across the circuit and took out Cecotto. But if it weren't for the fact that he was replacing Kobayashi, people wouldn't care less about it.
 
He won the 2010 GP3 Series title, and he placed third in the 2012 GP2 Series season, scoring three wins and four podiums. He probably deserves to be in Formula 1 more than any other rookie driver (except maybe Bottas).

All people seem to remember about Gutierrez was the episode at Silverstone when he fishtailed across the circuit and took out Cecotto. But if it weren't for the fact that he was replacing Kobayashi, people wouldn't care less about it.

It's got nothing to do with Kobayashi, but more to do with Frijns. Gutierrez finished 3rd in GP2 in arguably the weakest field since it's inception, while Frijns won the highly competetive FR3.5 Championship, as a rookie no less. It's clear in my mind at least who deserves the seat more.
 
I think people are getting a little carried away with Robin Frijns. He's good, but there are flaws in his racecraft. Putting him straight into Formula 1 could be a disaster. He's already proven that he has the speed, but he's young enough that he can afford to take another season in a feeder category to sharpen his skills up a little.

Besides, he has virtually no sponsorship to his name, and Sauber need money to survive. They would have had to have taken Hulkenberg and Gutierrez, or Gutierrez and Frijns. They wouldn't be able to have Frijns and Hulkenberg.
 
All people seem to remember about Gutierrez was the episode at Silverstone when he fishtailed across the circuit and took out Cecotto.

Nah, I tend to remember the rave about him a couple of years ago and people expecting him to fight for the GP2 title.
He just hasn't delivered on expectations and has proven quite wild and inconsistent - exactly the same as Bianchi.

There is no doubt he has speed but he's pretty unconvincing.

Its a fair argument to say there are plenty of good F1 drivers who also had inconsistent junior careers (Kobayashi being the prime example). But as thats all we have to go on, you have to say that he isn't a convincing driver yet.

Of course that same criticism was laid at Maldonado and he hasn't completely dis-proven it...but he has at least proven his speed.
And then we have Grosjean to prove that being good in junior series isn't everything in F1 (though he did benefit a lot from going back to series with far more experience than the competition).

I also agree that its possibly too early for Frijns yet - although these days "too early" is after 4-5 seasons of very competitive racing...

To me, drivers like Bianchi, Razia, Valsecchi and Gutierrrez only serve to show how good other drivers are because they end up in series where they have the most experience (and so are expected to do well) and you get drivers like Frijns, Calado, Nasr, da Costa, etc coming in with much less experience and doing a much more solid or equal job.

Of course, in 2013, the spot light is on drivers like Calado and da Costa for them to do well as they have more experience. So we will then get some more rookies who will surprise and make them look ordinary. The cycle goes on.
 
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Back to the C32, and looking at these photos from Jerez, I have to wonder: what ever happened to the big sponsor annoucement that the team was talking up at the end of last year? They said they and Chelsea FC had secured a major new parter, but there is nothing on the car to suggest what it might be:

saub-hulk-jere-20131.jpg


saub-hulk-jere-2013-2.jpg


saub-hulk-jere-2013.jpg
 
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