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After managing to live from race weekend to race weekend in the first half of 2016, Sauber's Formula One future has looked much brighter in recent months.
Longbow Finance's rescue act ahead of July's Hungarian Grand Prix, which supposedly secured Sauber's place on the grid for the long term, provided a cushion for a team who had been stuck in survival mode for several years.
Simply without the funds to improve the underperforming C35 chassis in the opening phase of the year, a range of aerodynamic updates—from new front and rear wings to a revised floor—finally found their way onto the car at the halfway stage as the team joined the development race.
Having lost a number of high-profile staff members along the way, Sauber embarked upon an aggressive recruitment drive. They appointed former Toro Rosso race engineer Xevi Pujolar, former Ferrari and Haas strategist Ruth Buscombe and one-time Lotus head of aerodynamics Nicolas Hennel de Beaupreau to key positions.
And after spending much of the year trying to find any way they could to flee the sinking ship, the drivers admitted they saw themselves playing a part in Sauber's resurgence.
Having dared to dream of a future with Williams—or Renault, or Force India, or any other team who might take him, per Autosport (h/t Eurosport)—Marcus Ericsson told F1i.com's Chris Medland how Sauber are "definitely a lot more attractive now," with Longbow bringing a "completely different" atmosphere.
His thoughts were echoed by team-mate Felipe Nasr, the leading candidate to replace Felipe Massa at Williams at one stage, who outlined why Sauber are "going in the right direction" thanks to a solid base and structure, per Crash.net.
Although they remain without a point this season, the changes behind the scenes had led to hope that the team could return to the typical Sauber position after a fresh start in 2017. The aim will be to achieve the kind of results Force India, a similarly sized independent outfit, have achieved since mid-2015.
Yet all that optimism, all that confidence and all that hope generated over the last three months drained away in the space of a single announcement at the recent Japanese GP, where team principal Monisha Kaltenborn told Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble how Sauber will compete with 2016-specification Ferrari power units next season.
The "strategic decision," as she calls it, has been made with the intention of allowing them to focus solely on the development of their 2017 chassis. But it will almost certainly signal the end of Sauber as a semi-serious F1 team.
After all, you only need to examine the decline of Toro Rosso to know how debilitating an ageing engine can be. They scored points in all but two of the first 11 races of 2016 but have been restricted to just one top-10 finish in the last six.
And the troubles encountered by the Red Bull B-team—who wasted little time in securing a return to Renault power for 2017 and '18—as this season has progressed will only be magnified for a team in transition.
A team who will be nailed, good and proper, to the very rear of the grid.
It seems Sauber's target is to repeat their start to 2015, when, with a tried-and-tested package, they conducted significant mileage in winter testing while their rivals were left to carry out the formalities of systems checks and suchlike on their new cars.
The result? Nasr and Ericsson scored a combined total of 19 points—more than half the team's final tally—in the opening three grands prix alone, establishing the foundations for an eighth-place finish in the constructors' championship a year after the worst season in Sauber's history.
While it was possible to achieve that continuity with stable regulations between 2014 and '15, the major rule changes in 2017—which, through alterations to the bodywork and the introduction of wider tyres, will make the cars considerably faster—will present a very different challenge.
And, in any case, Sauber's 2017 car—the development of which slowed when the team's financial worries were at their peak, as Nasr told Crash.net—is unlikely to be as beautifully crafted as the James Key-designed STR11, which has made up for Toro Rosso's lack of straight-line speed in the corners in 2016.
By far the biggest concern for Sauber, however, is the significant tweak to the engine regulations for next season.
As reported by Motorsport.com's Adam Cooper, F1's determination to ensure performance equality between the four engine manufacturers will see the controversial token system abandoned for 2017, offering Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Honda greater freedom to develop their power units.
With almost no restrictions, engine development could accelerate even more rapidly than this season, when Toro Rosso—whose engine was exposed as the weakest on the grid after just two races—first began to feel the pain of their 2015-spec units around the time of July's German GP.
And there is a real danger that Sauber's year-old engine may resemble a relic as early as June's Canadian GP—the first truly power-sensitive venue of a given season—or even the fifth round of the campaign in Spain, where teams traditionally introduce major upgrades.
This weekend's United States GP will mark a year since Sauber's last points finish, with Nasr evading the chaos of the wet-to-damp-to-dry race to cross the finish line in eighth position.
If they are to avoid a second scoreless season in three, they will need identical conditions to affect one of the remaining four races of 2016 and several similarly lucky breaks if they are to avoid a similar fate next season, when they will be cut adrift from the rest of the field.
When they will "end up being two steps behind" their closest competitors, as Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz warned, per Motorsport.com's Valentin Khorounzhiy and Noble.
When they will be pointless in every sense of the word.
Since Romain Grosjean crossed the line to finish sixth in last month's Australian Grand Prix, allowing Haas to score points in their very first race, the flow of positivity emanating from Formula One's latest new team has barely halted.
"Guys, listen to me, this is a win for us! This is a win!" Grosjean yelped over team radio on the cool-down lap at Albert Park as one of his mechanics—fresh from leaning over the pit wall in celebration—unzipped his fireproof overalls to reveal a t-shirt that read: "Have no fear, Haas F1 Team are here!"
Indeed, even the fears expressed by Williams' Pat Symonds, who told Motorsport.com Jonathan Noble how Haas' instant success—aided by their intimate technical partnership with Ferrari—risked eroding the status of fully independent "constructor" outfits, could not bring them down.
Team owner Gene Haas responded by telling Noble his approach of purchasing as many Ferrari-built components as possible is no different to that adopted by teams, including Williams, who compete with power units supplied by major manufacturers.
Grosjean supported his boss by claiming the VF-16, this grey assortment of Ferrari and Dallara parts with only 57 racing laps to its name, was already "one of the best cars" he has "even driven," per ESPN F1's Nate Saunders. The Frenchman went a step further after taking another "win" at last weekend's Bahrain GP.
"This is the American dream," he declared after finishing an "unbelievable" fifth, per the team's official website, ensuring Haas have more points after the opening two races of the year than the six teams below them in the constructors' standings combined.
As Grosjean and his new colleagues are busy pinching themselves in dreamland, however, the other Ferrari-affiliated team on the 2016 grid are in the firm grip of a nightmare.
From the moment it emerged in January that their new car would not appear until the second of two winter tests, Sauber had been expected to make a sluggish start to the season, yet their performances thus far have been worse than first envisaged.
After the disappointment of Australia—a race encapsulated by the adventures of Marcus Ericsson, who received a drive-through penalty when his mechanics struggled to dislodge a tyre blanket ahead of the restart before suffering a terminal drivetrain issue—the team's problems became increasingly alarming in Bahrain.
The tone was set on Friday evening, when Monisha Kaltenborn was a notable absentee from the team principals' FIA press conference.
As reported by Sky Sports' Ted Kravitz, those who fail to appear at the governing body's media gatherings are normally punished with a fine, but this time the FIA—aware of the reasons behind Kaltenborn's absence from the Sakhir paddock—took a far more sympathetic view.
That sympathy didn't extend to the track on Saturday as Felipe Nasr, who claimed two top-six finishes for the team in 2015, qualified last—five positions and 1.5 seconds adrift of Ericsson, who was beaten to 16th place by Pascal Wehrlein of Manor, the perennial backmarkers.
Per Kravitz, Nasr was so distressed with the handling of his car that he urged the team to remove it from parc ferme after qualifying and effectively rebuild it ahead of the grand prix, when the Brazilian planned to start afresh from the pit lane.
The request was rejected, and in a race when points were potentially on offer to anyone who evaded the chaos of the opening laps, Ericsson and Nasr finished 12th and 14th, respectively, as their mechanics sat cross-legged on the garage floor.
As reported by Autosport's Lawrence Barretto, Sauber's participation in the upcoming Chinese GP was only assured after securing an advance payment from Ericsson's sponsors, with the deal explaining Kalterborn's disappearing act in Bahrain and allowing the team to pay their employees' full salaries for March, having failed to pay the wages on time for a second consecutive month.
Financial concerns and a general lack of competitiveness on track have been recurring themes at Sauber ever since BMW's withdrawal from F1 at the end of 2009. But in their current state, have the team ever looked so insignificant, so purposeless, so worthless?
Once a proud sister team of Ferrari and a training ground for future grand prix winners and world champions, Sauber are now the Scuderia's distant cousins as Haas—the vibrant new kids on the block—have instantly snatched their status as the Prancing Horse's B-team.
Potential Ferrari drivers, including Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez—who after leaving the Swiss team in 2014 spent last year as Ferrari's reserve—are far more likely to race in the colours of Haas, with Sauber, previously the epitome of a punchy midfield team, now trapped in survival mode.
To some extent, Sauber's loss of identity has been a direct consequence of Haas' strong start to life in F1, and should the team make it through this year—a huge challenge considering their difficulties in reaching the third round of a 21-race season—it would be no surprise if the team underwent a transformation in time for 2017.
With chairman Sergio Marchionne telling Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Motorsport.com's Noble) of his desire to see an Alfa Romeo team on the grid, Ferrari may yet find an alternative way of ensuring a refreshed, rebranded Sauber outfit remain relevant to their wider F1 strategy.
If the Prancing Horse decide they have one too many stablemates, though, Sauber could find themselves a new home at Honda, with Motorsport.com's Adam Cooper reporting last December that McLaren chairman Ron Dennis had identified them as an ideal B-team for the Japanese manufacturer.
Per the same source, Kaltenborn explained that while her team have a "long lasting" and "good relationship" with Ferrari, Sauber "should always keep all options open," and you can only hope those options remain available—and that the team are able to decide their own future—when decision time comes later this year.
For while Haas are living the dream, Sauber—part of F1's furniture for so long—have never been in a more precarious position.
In recent years, Formula One teams who decide to miss the first pre-season test often find themselves signing their own death warrants.
Picking and choosing test appearances was commonplace in seasons gone by, when teams would prefer to spend an extra week or two on the development of their car or putting some final touches to a fancy new front wing.
But in an era of severely restricted testing? Of those pesky, high-maintenance V6 turbo power units and all their idiosyncrasies? Time not spent pounding around a circuit in southern Spain is time wasted.
And that time is rarely, if ever, won back.
In 2014, the first year of the current-generation engines, Lotus played truant during the opening test at Jerez and opted to launch their twin-tusked E22 three weeks later in Bahrain.
Fitted with Renault's problematic powertrain, however, the car was restricted to just 238 laps, according to Sky Sports' William Esler—for comparison, eventual world champions Mercedes racked up 975—and Lotus, who claimed countless podiums and won a race the previous season, tumbled to eighth in the constructors' standings.
Last year, meanwhile, "cash-flow issues"—as deputy team principal Bob Fernley told Sky Sports' Mike Wise—saw Force India's VJM08 car delayed several times before it appeared with just three days of testing remaining.
Although they ultimately went on to claim their best-ever championship position of fifth (in what was admittedly a low-quality field), the team began 2015 with patchy results, and a car only quicker than those of McLaren-Honda and Manor, before a B-specification chassis was introduced at the midseason stage.
The trials and tribulations encountered by Lotus and Force India since 2014 meant there was a familiar whiff of impending doom in the air when, as reported by Sky Sports' James Galloway, it emerged in January that Sauber's new car will not appear until the final pre-season test.
In a year in which the pre-season schedule has been reduced from three tests to two, Sauber, who will run a modified 2015 chassis in the opening test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, will have a maximum of four days to prepare their new C35 car for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 20.
And if McLaren-Honda finally make the progress they are capable of, and aid from Mercedes and Ferrari respectively allow Manor and Haas to race competitively, there is a danger that Sauber—accustomed to running in the lower half of the midfield over the last few seasons—will begin 2016 at the very rear of the grid.
But even so, the risk of missing the first test is worth taking.
Among the most financially troubled teams, Sauber have effectively competed with the same car over the last two years, with technical expert Craig Scarborough telling F1 reporter Peter Windsor on his YouTube channel that a new nose design—enforced by the revised regulations—was the only notable difference between 2014 and 2015.
With 2016 set to be the final year of the current chassis regulations, there is a clear temptation to try something different and, as Felipe Nasr told Crash.net, be "a little bit more aggressive"—even if it compromises their preparation for the proposed 2017 rule changes.
Had they retained the same car for a third successive year, it is probable that the team—despite their access to the increasingly powerful and reliable Ferrari engine—would have been at the back of the field anyway. So why not be a little radical, a little innovative, a little adventurous?
Much of Sauber's hopes for this season, then, will rest upon the shoulders of Mark Smith, who joined the team as technical director last July and, as Nasr told Crash.net, "straightaway" began pushing for a more aggressive approach.
Formerly of Jordan, Renault, Red Bull and Force India, Smith is a highly experienced engineer, and while his most recent adventure with the now-defunct Caterham team ended disastrously, his unique interpretation of the 2014 nose regulations suggests Sauber's technical team will be led by one of the most creative minds in F1.
The prospect of guiding a team through what will almost certainly be a difficult start to the season will also offer a different challenge to Nasr following an impressive debut season in 2015, when he claimed six points finishes including two top-six results in Australia and Russia.
Although his first campaign was not without the niggling issues you would associate with rookies—the Brazilian often struggled with braking at the midseason stage and changed his race engineer in the closing months of the year—Nasr has now established himself as Sauber's lead driver.
Indeed, how Sauber progress throughout this year may reflect on Nasr's leadership skills in a year in which he could quite easily earn a move to a front-running team after he was regarded as a likely replacement for Valtteri Bottas at Williams during 2015, per Italian publication Corriere dello Sport (h/t GrandPrix247.com).
While his team-mate, Marcus Ericsson, is less convincing—his high-energy driving style became counterproductive after putting too much pressure on himself to succeed, as he admitted to Autosport's Lawrence Barretto—his five minor points finishes in 2015 proved he is capable of scoring when the car is to his liking.
And getting the car to both their drivers' liking will be the crucial factor in Sauber's season.
If the new chassis proves to be worth the wait, and the team can keep their rivals within touching distance across the opening series of "flyaway" races, retaining eighth place in what is now an 11-team constructors' championship—and claiming more Australia 2015-style results—would see the gamble pay off.
But should the C35 fail to live up to expectations—or, at worst, prove to be fundamentally flawed—the team's campaign could be every bit as miserable as Lotus' 2014, and they may even struggle to beat Manor, who have registered just one points finish in six seasons, to a place in the top 10.
As Nasr told Crash.net last December, though, Sauber simply "have to give it a try." They "need to try something."
You can see it now.
It's the first lap of the Australian Grand Prix and Giedo van der Garde, having been caught up in the annual bedlam at Turn 1 of the Albert Park circuit, radios the Sauber team to report a puncture.
"Box, box," comes the reply, and so at the end of the lap, Van der Garde peels off into the pit entry.
His C34 trundles its way down the lane toward the army of mechanics, complete with their jacks, wheel guns and spare Pirellis, primed and ready to complete their first pit stop of the season.
Van der Garde successfully manages to navigate his car into the slot created by the engineers and comes to a halt, his car primed and ready to be serviced.
But nothing happens.
The Sauber mechanics, in full cut-off-your-nose-to-spite-your-face mode, stand motionless as the sound of V6 turbos soaring past on the other side of the pit wall reverberates through the slow lane.
Van der Garde, falling further behind as each second passes, waves his arms and shakes his head but, trapped in the pit box by his own colleagues, has nowhere to go.
And is left with no option but to jump out of the car and withdraw from the race.
The prospect of a scenario of that ilk—in other words, the team turning on their driver in a very bold, public way—playing out in the Australian GP is not as far-fetched as it may sound at the end of a week which has seen the war between Sauber and Van der Garde turn even nastier.
Tensions were high enough at the end of last year when the Swiss outfit, as per Blick (h/t motorsport.com), revoked the paddock pass of Van der Garde, their 2014 reserve driver, ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with this week's court case in Australia elevating the sense of ill-feeling to a whole new level.
As reported by Autosport's Lawrence Barretto, the Dutchman took Sauber to court after they failed to honour an agreement, made last June, for Van der Garde to race for the team this year, with the backmarkers signing Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr as their 2015 race drivers in quick succession last November.
Van der Garde's victory, along with Sauber's failed appeal, as per ESPN F1, has compelled the team to drop either Nasr or Ericsson—who according to the Press Association's Ian Parkes (h/t Daily Mail) both supply the team with £10-12 million in financial backing—and run the Dutch driver in the new season.
And as much as the outfit may not want to—F1 journalist Adam Cooper has reported that the team have not been receptive with "a series of requests" made by the driver's camp, while Van der Garde's name was absent from the official Australian GP entry list—it is arguably the safest option for Sauber, with Cooper reporting that their equipment could be seized if the team are found to be in contempt of court.
Although it is easy to mock the team for effectively hiring three men to drive two cars, the situation in which Sauber currently find themselves is yet another reminder of the difficulties facing outfits at the rear of the modern Formula One grid.
Making little money from their on-track exploits and external backing—the C34 is almost devoid of sponsorship logos—teams such as Sauber are constantly forced to hunt for drivers whose bank balance acts as a life support machine.
And as the desperation and the need to make enough money to survive increases, any sense of morality and legality is bound to go out of the window as a team does what it simply needs to do to remain in existence.
In this case, Nasr and Ericsson's willingness to not only provide more money than Van der Garde but to pay up front—as claimed by BBC Sport's Andrew Benson—was always going to give the Brazilian and the Swede the edge in the race for a 2015 seat as Sauber's financial situation worsened, regardless of any prior agreement with the Dutchman.
After all, the fact that both Ericsson and Nasr were signed within nine days of Caterham and Marussia's fall into administration arguably suggests just how close the Swiss team themselves were to being sidelined at the end of 2014.
However, the argument put forward by Sauber lawyer Rodney Garrett, as reported by Radio Australia (h/t Adam Cooper), that Van der Garde would have presented "an unacceptable risk of physical harm or even death" if he took part in the Melbourne race was baseless.
Van der Garde's act of revenge, and his apparent willingness to take the team down with him by starving Sauber of the funds they need from Ericsson and Nasr, is hardly going to make the Dutchman an attractive proposition among rival team principals, but it is revealing that his fellow drivers have spoken in support of the 29-year-old.
Sergio Perez, the former Sauber driver, was quoted by Sky Sports' William Esler and James Galloway of how drivers must be treated with "respect," while another ex-Sauber starlet Felipe Massa told the same source that the affair is "sad for the sport."
And that is the overriding feeling as the race weekend fast approaches.
This year's Australian Grand Prix is meant to be a joyous affair, one that encapsulates all that is good about Formula One.
From the commencement of Round 2 between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel's first appearance in a Ferrari, to the long-awaited comeback of McLaren-Honda, a young record-breaker in the shape of 17-year-old Max Verstappen and Manor's return from the dead, F1 has plenty of celebrate at Albert Park this weekend.
But all of that seems to be paling into insignificance as the usual stories of controversy and money worries, the single biggest topic at the tail end of last year, come to the forefront.
It remains to be seen whether Van der Garde does indeed take to the track behind the wheel of a Sauber this weekend.
But for F1's sake, let's hope 2015 hasn't started as it means to go on.
The grey livery might have finally been consigned to history, but Sauber are still struggling to generate much excitement as far as their driver lineup is concerned.
And it's not through a lack of options.
Toward the end of last season, Sky Sports' James Galloway reported that a host of drivers had been in contention for, if not under the impression that they had secured, a 2015 Sauber seat.
That shortlist included Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez, the team's 2014 race drivers, and reserve driver Giedo van der Garde.
Add to that group the names of Simona de Silvestro, the female racer who last year conducted some test sessions in preparation for a potential 2015 debut, and Sergey Sirotkin, the Moscow-born teenager who drove for the team in practice at the Russian Grand Prix, and you see that Sauber were spoilt for choice.
But to much surprise and outrage—Sutil and Van der Garde, according to Blick (h/t motorsport.com), threatened legal action, with the latter having his paddock pass revoked by the team ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as things turned nasty—Sauber rejected each of those options.
They instead placed their faith in Marcus Ericsson, the 2014 Caterham driver, and GP2 championship contender Felipe Nasr, creating a partnership that, in truth, is no stronger than any of the several driver combinations the team could have had for 2015.
Although it may seem as though Monisha Kaltenborn, the team principal, merely picked a couple of names out of a hat when choosing her drivers for the forthcoming campaign, the signing of Nasr and Ericsson is undoubtedly a move to address the financial problems which saw Sauber slip from occasional podium finishers to pointless backmarkers in just two seasons.
Both Ericsson and Nasr, as per the Press Association's Ian Parkes (h/t Daily Mail), provide between £10-12 million in sponsorship funds, which renders any on-track fight between the pair almost irrelevant alongside the battle of the bank balance.
Yet the Nasr-Ericsson alliance is, oddly, among the most compelling team-mate wars on this year's grid in the sense that very few have any idea just who will establish inter-team supremacy at Sauber.
With a year's F1 experience under his belt, Ericsson must be considered the de facto team leader heading into the campaign.
The Swede failed to make a real impression in his maiden season, beating team-mate Kamui Kobayashi just twice in the seven grands prix that both Caterham cars finished and out-qualifying the Japanese on just four occasions in the 15 races the pair raced alongside each other.
A smattering of mistakes, the most notable being his collision with Felipe Massa in Monaco qualifying, suggested that Ericsson was out of his depth in Formula One.
This feeling was only enhanced after the summer break when Kobayashi was replaced by first Andre Lotterer and Roberto Merhi, both of whom beat Ericsson for pace despite having no prior experience with Caterham's 2014 car.
Lotterer, as per Formula1.com, out-qualified Ericsson by a full second in wet conditions at Spa-Francorchamps, before Merhi went two-tenths quicker than the Swede in FP1 at the following round in Italy, according to the same source.
To his credit, however, Ericsson showed gradual improvement as the season progressed as the team began to get on top of what the 24-year-old referred to as "instability," per GPUpdate.net, and unpredictability under braking.
Those changes allowed Ericsson to showcase his true pace for the first time, with his form improving substantially—the Swede's 15th-place finish in Singapore was his best placing since he matched Caterham's best-ever result with a lucky run to 11th in Monaco—prior to the team entering administration.
Ericsson's rise in form when handed workable machinery implies that, despite being unable to adapt his driving style to suit the traits of the car in a Fernando Alonso-esque way—hardly a crime for someone of such little experience—he is capable of doing a solid, if unspectacular, job.
Which is all Sauber, in search of their first point in 19 grands prix, can hope for.
Whether Nasr can provide the flair to complement Ericsson, though, is up for debate.
The Brazilian raced in GP2 for three seasons between 2012 and 2014 for leading teams in DAMS and Carlin, but it wasn't until last year that he took the first of his four victories in the series.
That, although Nasr's GP2 career begun at the age of just 19, is arguably a cause for concern in itself, considering that the very best drivers to emerge from the series—think Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg—tend to be competitive from the off and win the title at the first time of asking.
Nevertheless, those wins laid the foundations for a championship assault, but despite being the main challenger to eventual title winner Jolyon Palmer for much of the campaign, Nasr still found a way to miss out on the runner-up spot, missing out to a rookie, Stoffel Vandoorne.
Palmer, who spent fours years in GP2 himself, went on to stick the boot in after clinching the title in Russia—prior to Nasr's signing by Sauber—by telling Sky Sports' The F1 Show television programme that the Brazilian wasn't "the quickest" of his rivals and he would expect Vandoorne to go further than Nasr.
Despite being dismissed by his rivals, it is evident that Nasr does have some degree of talent, having won the Formula BMW Europe title in 2009 and the British Formula Three crown in 2011, when he beat none other than Kevin Magnussen in a straight fight.
There is some potential on Nasr's side of the Sauber garage, and it is imperative that the Brazilian realises at least some of it in 2015, and gets the better of Ericsson on a regular basis, if he is to remain on the grid for years to come.
The Swede's experience will ensure that he has the edge early on, but Nasr—if he can refine his style and avoid the silly incidents that defined his pre-season preparations—should grow in confidence and stature as the season progresses.
Just don't expect too many fireworks at Sauber in 2015.
The Sauber Formula One team has faced financial difficulties in recent years. Along with fellow independent teams like Force India and Lotus, the Swiss outfit has struggled with rising costs while continuing to receive a small piece of the F1 financial pie.
For 2015, though, it appears their money troubles may be taken care of. Roger Benoit, of the Swiss newspaper Blick, is reporting that the team's all-new driver line-up will provide $50 million in funding this season—approximately half their 2014 budget.
Coming off the worst season in the team's 22-year history—their first without scoring a point—Sauber are in need of a rebound.
Yes, the team has taken on pay drivers, but this is not some Alex Yoong scheme, where a driver with more money than talent buys his way into F1. Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr both have the racing credentials to back up their claims to increasingly scarce F1 race seats.
Ericsson spent last season with Caterham, where he was particularly impressive near the end of the season, despite the team's struggles to stay solvent. Nasr, meanwhile, finished third in a hard-fought GP2 championship behind Jolyon Palmer and McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne.
At the U.S. Grand Prix last November, team principal Monisha Kaltenborn told Crash.net's Chris Medland that money was a consideration in the signing of Ericsson but that other drivers offered similar sponsorship cash.
In other words, the team chose the drivers they thought were the best.
Ericsson and Nasr will replace the largely uninspiring duo of Adrian Sutil (zero podiums, four top-five finishes in 128 career races) and Esteban Gutierrez (one top-10 finish in 38 grands prix). Sauber also had Giedo van der Garde, Sergey Sirotkin and Simona de Silvestro in their garage at various points last year.
Ericsson and Nasr jumped the queue.
While the two race drivers bring cash from their own sponsors, new reserve driver Raffaele Marciello—a Ferrari protege—comes with a discount for Sauber on their Ferrari engines for 2015.
F1 journalist Joe Saward reported on his blog that Ferrari originally intended to place Jules Bianchi at Sauber next season, but he was severely injured in a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix. Therefore, Marciello got the call.
If the new money does indeed put Sauber's financial worries behind them, at least for now, the Swiss team can put their focus on climbing back up the grid.
In 2012, with Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez at the wheel, they scored 126 points and four podiums. With Nico Hulkenberg and Gutierrez in 2013, the total dropped to 57, with a best finish of fourth. And then there was the disaster of 2014.
The Ferrari engine was underpowered compared to Mercedes' unit. This allowed Merc customers Williams and Force India, who battled with Sauber in previous years, to sprint ahead.
But the engine was only part of the Swiss team's problems. Last July, Gutierrez told Autosport's Ben Anderson, "We don't have enough downforce on the car."
With an influx of cash and a refreshed driver line-up, Sauber should be able to recover in 2015. The recently uncovered engine development loophole will also help Ferrari close the gap to Mercedes on the power unit side.
While a return to the podium this year is highly unlikely, a few points here and there are not. Unfortunately, with the apparent demise of Marussia and Caterham, even semi-regular finishes in the points could leave Sauber last in the constructors' standings.
Still, there is cause for hope in Hinwil.
The fact that a race seat for Sirotkin never materialized probably means his Russian money never did either. And the team also parted ways with De Silvestro, "due to financial reasons on her side," as a Sauber spokesman told ESPN F1.
Now, the team has two race drivers with lots of money and great potential. It may be a couple years before Sauber can hope for a return to the podium, but at least they should be able to spend that time worrying more about improving the car than about the team surviving.
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The absence of Marussia and, to a lesser extent, Caterham from the United States Grand Prix and Brazilian Grand Prix weekends has left Sauber with something of an open goal.
It is true that the loss of the perennial backmarkers has left the Swiss-based team, who were regular podium contenders just two years ago, at the rear of an 18-car field on pure pace. However, their view of the top 10, the points-paying positions which have eluded them all year, is now much better than it was only a month ago.
And with that clearer path has come a degree of confidence, a renewed sense of belief of scoring a point before the end of the 2014 campaign and preventing Sauber—sitting 10th in the constructors' championship—from enduring their worst season in their 21-year history in Formula One.
The feeling that this was the moment for Sauber to take advantage of their rivals' misfortune and finally make an impression on the season was evident on Saturday at the Circuit of the Americas, with Adrian Sutil, the team's lead driver, reaching the third segment of qualifying for the first time in 2014.
Such a promising result ended talk of a boycott of the race in protest against the handling of the sport's finances—Bob Fernley, Force India's deputy team principal, had told BBC Sport's Andrew Benson after qualifying that "the bottom three teams are considering it"—with Sauber never likely to pass up the chance of salvaging their season.
Yet, three quarters into the first lap of the race, the team would have been forgiven for opting to sit on the sidelines, after Sutil—having done a good job of retaining his starting position of ninth—was wiped out by Sergio Perez at the tricky Turn 15. The Mexican overcooked the corner and clumsily hit the rear-left of Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari, leaving the German unable to avoid being hit twice in quick succession by Perez.
The sight of the Sauber of Sutil sitting on the edge of the track, with its front-left wheel dislocated, as a recovery vehicle arrived to remove it from the scene of the accident was heartbreaking and encapsulated life at the back of the field, where little ever goes to plan and one develops a sorry habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
In that sense, the incident carried similarities to his retirement from the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix where—again through no fault of his own—the German, running in fourth place, was removed from proceedings as Raikkonen lost control under braking for the Nouvelle chicane and speared into Sutil when he was just six laps away from securing Force India's first points finish.
Although Sauber will have at least one more chance to register some points over the final two races—the changeable weather conditions at Brazil's Interlagos circuit, in theory, should present a bigger opportunity than the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, despite the uncertainty surrounding double points—whether Sutil himself can do enough to secure his F1 future is a different matter.
Soon after Sutil's heroics in qualifying, Sauber announced the signing of Marcus Ericsson, the Caterham rookie, for 2015. This left the German and teammate Esteban Gutierrez—who would have suffered the humiliation of being the last of the 15 finishes in the United States Grand Prix had Daniil Kvyat not suffered tyre damage in the latter stages—fighting for their futures.
And neither driver is likely to have a future at Sauber, with Bild's Nicola Pohl tweeting that the team will promote Giedo van der Garde, the 2014 reserve driver, to a race seat alongside Ericsson and Sky Sports' Ted Kravitz claiming that a deal for the Dutchman was "done some time ago."
It would mark some turnaround for Sutil, who has frequently reiterated his confidence at remaining with Sauber this season, telling Sky Sports' Mike Wise over the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, "I’ll be here for much longer so sorry, but you’ll have to live with my face," and informing the official F1 website in June: "I have a contract with this team. I have made a commitment for a few years."
The German, though, seemed much more cagey when questioned about his future on the grid during Sky Sports' television coverage of the United States Grand Prix, telling Martin Brundle: "(There have been) a lot of talks but, you know, that's how it is in Formula One. I'm concentrating here on my race and in the last two races there's still plenty of work to do for us, to score a few points hopefully and that's the target."
The German has once before found himself frozen out of F1, with Force India opting to partner his countryman, Nico Hulkenberg, with Paul Di Resta, for 2012 before taking him back the following season. However, the 31-year-old would almost certainly find it harder to return once again, having failed to justify his place in the sport in 2013 and, of course, this year.
Sutil's standout performance in qualifying at the Circuit of the Americas, then, was not the sign of a slight resurgence by a team trying to nab a place in the constructors' standings—it was a driver making a last-gasp effort to save his skin.
But having been prevented the opportunity to build upon his Saturday showing at the Austin track, it seems like a case of "too little, too late" for Sutil at Sauber and, indeed, in Formula One.
MONTREAL — The first time I saw Simona de Silvestro was from the grandstands on the weekend of the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix. She was 17 years old, driving in Formula BMW, and in two races at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve she finished fourth (setting the fastest lap) and then third.
The next time I saw the Swiss driver was earlier this month, again in Montreal. This time, we met in the paddock to discuss her new role as an affiliated driver for the Sauber Formula One team, as she inches closer to her goal of being the first woman since Lella Lombardi in 1976 to start an F1 race.*
In between, De Silvestro raced in the Atlantic Championship and spent four seasons in IndyCar. Last year, she finished 13th in the overall standings, including a brilliant second place on the street circuit in Houston.
Her teammate, 2004 IndyCar champion Tony Kanaan, said, "I like to see this young girl that wants to do well, because that's her opportunity. That obviously pushes me to my limit. I'm going to admit that she's extremely fast," per Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press.
This season, De Silvestro is testing with the Sauber team, hoping to show the speed to earn a race seat for 2015. Her first test, at Fiorano in April, was a success. "Simona drove very well, had a good pace and was consistent," said Sauber engineer Paul Russell in a team press release. "Overall these were two very positive days."
De Silvestro is back behind the wheel of a Sauber C31—which recorded four podium finishes in 2012—this week in Valencia and her testing program will continue throughout the season.
But not everyone has been so complimentary of the Swiss driver. Sauber test driver Sergey Sirotkin recently told the Russian website F1news.ru (via motorsport.com) that, "In my opinion, this is more of a marketing ploy, so I don't think I need to be afraid of it."
That statement is a bit odd, coming from Sirotkin, considering the only reason he is anywhere near an F1 car is because of a deal signed between Sauber and a group of Russian investors when the team looked to be in dire financial straits last season.
For De Silvestro, this will just be more fuel for her fire. When I met her, she was calm and focused, but spoke passionately about her lifelong desire to race in F1. Marketing ploy or not, she is getting very close to her goal.
Here is our conversation from the Montreal paddock, lightly edited for clarity and length.
Bleacher Report: Can you talk about the differences between your IndyCar and F1 training programs?
Simona de Silvestro: It changed quite a bit, actually. In IndyCar, we were doing a lot of weights and a lot of upper-body strength. And now, for F1, this is gone a little bit. Definitely more cardio and a lot of neck training.
I wouldn't say one is easier than the other. It's just really different. The amount of time you spend in the gym is about the same, but it's definitely a different training routine.
B/R: And what about the differences between Indy cars and F1 cars?
SdS: I thought IndyCar was a big car and that F1 would be a step higher, but it's, like, 10 steps higher. Everything in an F1 car is better: It brakes better, accelerates better, turns better. It's the coolest thing I've ever driven and it was a lot of fun.
For me as a kid, every year I thought, "How cool would it be to drive a Formula One car?" And then, all of a sudden, it was here and it was a really special moment.
B/R: Did the deal with Sauber come together quickly, or was it something in the works for a while?
SdS: I've been working on this all my life, because F1 was always the goal. After four years in IndyCar, last year we were thinking, "OK, what do we do? Do we try to do Formula One or do we stay in IndyCar?" And it was a pretty easy choice, because that was what I always wanted to do.
So we got a great opportunity with the Sauber team to get a good, structured test plan, which is pretty special because, in F1, it's really difficult to do that kind of thing. They gave us the right opportunity and it was kind of a no-brainer to do that with them.
B/R: Do you miss not racing this year?
SdS: It's hard. For sure you miss the competition because, as a race-car driver, that's what you live for. But, on the other hand, I think, "Oh, I get to drive a Formula One car." So the trade-off is kind of OK. If I had to do that for two years, yeah, maybe it would be a little more difficult, but I think one year is OK.
B/R: Do you see yourself in a race seat next year? The Sauber garage is pretty crowded with Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez (the current race drivers), as well as Giedo van der Garde (the reserve driver) and Sirotkin.
SdS: At the end of the day, it is difficult anyway because F1 is only 22 people and everybody wants to get there, but for me, if I do the job right, I don't see why not. There are a lot of circumstances that have to come together, but everybody's working hard to make that happen.
B/R: How close are you to qualifying for your Super Licence?
SdS: There's different circumstances to get it. I don't have it yet, but I think it will come through the testing.
B/R: Will you be able to drive in a free practice session at one of the grands prix this season?
SdS: It's a goal. I don't know if it's going to happen, but it's definitely a goal that we have.
B/R: I saw you were recently at a conference for women's leadership. Can you talk a bit about how you see yourself as a role model for young girls?
SdS: Being in racing, it is a male-dominated sport, but to me, it's always been really important—that's what I love to do. I love to drive cars and I love to race, and to me it was always important to have the results, to be competitive. And I think that's a really good role model for young girls.
For example, if a young kid is interested in math, but they don't really know what they can do with it, it is important to show them the opportunities and really support them to become what they want and to do what they love to do. And if they're good at it, why not? I think that's the key to it, and that's what I've tried to do all my life.
B/R: And what about the sacrifices you have had to make in terms of your personal life and moving from Switzerland to the United States at a young age?
SdS: I think as an athlete in general nowadays, it's all or nothing. Especially when you're racing, I think it's even more crucial because you only get one shot at it. For me it's always been, "OK, you really have to focus on that to make it happen."
For sure, growing up, as a teenager, I wasn't with all my friends just hanging out, but at the end of the day, I'm doing what I love to do, so the sacrifice isn't really that hurtful. I'd rather be traveling and be in a race car than just hanging out somewhere. It is a trade-off, but that's part of any life—if you want something, if you want to do something, you have to make trade-offs to try to make it happen.
B/R: It must be nice to be back in Switzerland now, though?
SdS: It is! You know, it's funny: When I was in the U.S., I always missed Switzerland, and now that I'm in Switzerland, I kind of miss the U.S. But it's nice to be home a little bit with my parents, and all my family is there. It's actually pretty weird to spend quite a bit of time with them. On the weekends, I can call them and be like, "Hey, I'll show up!" which I was never able to do for the last eight years, so it is pretty nice to be back, for sure.
B/R: Thanks for your time, Simona. It was nice to meet you.
SdS: My pleasure.
* Three other women have entered grands prix in the interim—most recently Giovanna Amati in 1992—but they failed to qualify for any races.
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