Formula 1: Too many bumps for Sauber

The message came out of the blue in January. The line from Bahrain will be extended by 887 meters. With the expansion, there were not only eight mostly slow corners, but also a lot of bumps. And they spoiled S auber the concept.

Bumps are poison for tough Sauber C29

The aerodynamics of the Sauber C29 only work in a small window. The more movement there is in the car, the more unpredictable the downforce. That is why the Sauber are made tough. On the test tracks of Valencia, Jerez and Barcelona, ​​you can get through the laps with a hard-sprung car. Especially when it generates as much downforce as the new Sauber.

If bumps come into play, there are two options. Either you tune the cars softer and fall out of the aerodynamically favorable window, or you try to keep the jumping cars on the road with even more contact pressure. That costs top speed. And it was in precisely this vicious circle that Sauber moved.

More downforce - less top speed

Pedro de la Rosa already suspected on Friday that it would be a tough weekend: 'This guy The racetrack is not good for us. It has too many straights. ' To be precise: the new mogul slope between turns 5 and 13 does not like the white cars. The training result would probably have looked better on the old track.

Nevertheless, De la Rosa will not lose the first GP weekend of the year. 'We have a car that handles the tires carefully. That's why I'm still calculating a lot for the race. Points are possible, even if it is difficult.' Like Michael Schumacher, the returnees complained that his reflexes were a bit rusty in qualifying. That is why it was a surprise for the 39-year-old Spaniard to be on the grid in front of his team-mate Kamui Kobayashi.

De la Rosa sees himself as a newcomer

'It was my first qualification in three years. It lacks the aggressiveness and also the feeling to feel the grip from the tire.' Although the former test pilot from McLaren to the experienced pilots in the field, he sees himself as a newcomer at the moment. 'As a test driver, I know Valencia, Jerez and Barcelonaby heart. That's what I've specialized in. The other routes are practically new to me. I know that I didn't get the most out of the car in qualifying and that I made a few mistakes. But even with a faultless lap I would not have improved. '

Conclusion of the Spaniard:' The gap to the fastest time was too big. But Bahrain wasn't the best track for us either. Melbourne in 14 days should look better. '