Sauber technical director James Key expects the C30 to perform well at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in next week’s Belgian Grand Prix.
Key said: “The track is primarily high speed with long straights and well known corners. This should suit our car reasonably well.
“To date it will be the lowest downforce level the teams have run, but a lot will depend on the weather conditions, because they are very unpredictable. As always in Spa, we have to monitor the weather closely over the weekend.”
He added the car will have a “Spa specific” rear wing and a revised front wing for the race.
Kamui Kobayashi added he thinks Spa will “suit our car well, because it has a similar average speed to Silverstone.”
Kobayashi failed to score in Hungary, slipping out of the top ten late in the race after a tyre strategy gamble failed to pay off.
He is wary of more tricky conditions at Spa: “The weather is always very unpredictable, as it was in Silverstone, at the Nurburgring and in Budapest, so this could be another very tricky race. Sometimes you are in a situation where you have to decide for which conditions you set up the car before you are sure what the weather will be like.
2011 Belgian Grand Prix
Image © Sauber F1 Team
James_mc (@james_mc)
19th August 2011, 10:47
I’m getting excited now, Spa is always one of my favourite tracks, even more so after going there. For me it is definitely one of the races that I will watch at all costs. And being there is fantastic, you really get a sense of history when going to the track via the roads that used to be used on the original 28km circuit (notably Masta).
Magnificent Geoffrey (@magnificent-geoffrey)
19th August 2011, 10:48
Amazing to think that with all of those tricky corners, Spa is the circuit with the lowest levels of downforce to date this season.
I’m already looking forward to Spa, but I’m looking forward to it even more now. I just hope they don’t go for glory on a risky tyre strategy again, especially with Spa’s notorious weather system.
BasCB
19th August 2011, 15:03
Well, they might go for a risky tyre strategy for once. Instead of just sitting it out on old tyres and hoping to get up front.
I must say, i am massively looking forward to the Spa race, especially after the brake and having teams bring a load of new parts as well.
George (@george)
19th August 2011, 17:48
I’m quite surprised it’s lower than Canada, although they did say they were running higher df at Canada than they have previously.
literalf1 (@literalf1)
22nd August 2011, 0:07
That’s exactly what I thought. Surely Canada was lower downforce? I know I have set up my car in F1 2010 to have lower downforce in Canada :P
Fixy (@)
19th August 2011, 17:58
Yeah, it’s pretty amazing. One would think to tackle the Eau Rouge flat-on you would need great downforce, but apparently not.
xtophe (@xtophe)
19th August 2011, 18:28
Maybe they have enough downforce on lower wingangles aswell. It’s all relative to previous levels of downforce this year.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
21st August 2011, 10:58
I would have thought Monza was one for the lowest downforce?
Alexi
21st August 2011, 18:50
So far in the season it will be SPA, surpassed my Monza then I’d guess.
Alfie (@alfie)
19th August 2011, 11:45
Hope this ‘Spa Specific’ rear wing is legal..
Raveedhana
19th August 2011, 14:52
But can they beat force india at spa? am not sure.
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
20th August 2011, 2:37
I hope we see the car in good shape so that both Perez & Koba can have a good fight with it.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
21st August 2011, 10:56
Will be interesting to see how high they come in the speed trap.
literalf1 (@literalf1)
22nd August 2011, 0:06
I’m really looking forward to the fight between them and Force India. Force India have traditionally been extremely good in low downforce tracks and had their pole in 2009 here.
Johann
22nd August 2011, 8:25
I know everyone in F1 needed this holiday, but it felt so looooong. Reading about F1 is not the same as watching the shenanigans on en off the track.