The good results achieved in 1993, the debut season of the newly founded Swiss team Sauber, were not repeated in 1994 despite official support from the German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz, which supplied its V10 engines to the Swiss team. Mercedes' search for a more prominent team led the German engine manufacturer to sign a partnership agreement with the historic English team McLaren, effectively leaving Peter Sauber without solid technical or financial support for the 1995 season. Both issues were brilliantly overcome by the Swiss constructor who, thanks to his excellent managerial skills, secured from Ford the official and exclusive supply of the new and advanced 2999 cc V8 ECA Zetec-R engine, the latest version of the well-known American V8 always prepared by Cosworth. The financial side was resolved thanks to the entry into top-level open-wheel racing of an Austrian manager, Dietrich Mateschitz, founder of the Red Bull brand, who became the main sponsor of the Swiss team.
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| SAUBER C14, Heinz-Harald Frentzen Aida, Pacific GP 1995 |
The official debut of Red Bull Racing would not take place until 2005, but already ten years earlier, the brand of the Austrian “soft drink magnate” entered the world circuits thanks to the partnership with Sauber, becoming the Title Sponsor and acquiring a stake in the Swiss team, which was renamed Red Bull Sauber. During the season, another important brand appeared on the Swiss single-seaters: Petronas, which began a collaboration with the Sauber team destined to last until 2009. The project of the new Sauber C14 was once again entrusted to the team’s longtime designer, Leo Rees, under the technical direction of André de Costanze, who joined Sauber in 1994 after previous experience with Peugeot-Talbot, achieving victories both in rally and at Le Mans. The head of aerodynamics remained Heinz Zoellner, who, however, did not design an innovative aerodynamic package for the new C14, retaining the classic low, sloping nose typical of previous Swiss single-seaters.
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| SAUBER C14, Jean-Christophe Boullion Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1995 |
From the very beginning, the new C14 proved to be a very capable car, and starting with the third race of the season at Imola, the new and final version debuted, featuring a raised nose and a full-width wing supported by two pylons. The side pods followed the design of the Benetton B195, with air intakes moved towards the outer edges, while the rear end, with its sharp tapering on the previous C13, now resembled the Ferrari 412 T2, featuring a low and wide engine cover that completely enclosed the gearbox and suspension area. A unique feature on the C14 was the large cockpit side protections, first introduced on the C13 after the terrifying crash involving Austrian driver Wendlinger during practice for the 1994 Monaco Grand Prix. These were further reinforced on the new car, anticipating the regulations that would come into effect in 1996 for all cars.
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| SAUBER C14, Heinz-Harald Frentzen Magny-Cours, French GP 1995 |
Mechanically, the most important innovation, as mentioned earlier, was the new 2999 cc Ford V8 ECA Zetec-R engine, supplied exclusively to Sauber by the American manufacturer, which chose the Swiss team as its official team after Benetton switched to Renault engines. Paired with the Ford engine was the same six-speed transverse semi-automatic Xtrac-Sauber gearbox already used on the C13, along with the suspension system, which maintained the classic double wishbone push-rod configuration. The beautiful and elegant black livery of the early Sauber cars turned dark blue during pre-season, and later adopted the classic blue-violet colors of the Red Bull brand once the championship began. The official drivers for 1995 were the returning Karl Wendlinger and the reliable German Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who had secured all the points collected by Sauber in 1994. Unfortunately for Peter Sauber, Wendlinger never regained the form he had shown early in his career after his Monaco '94 crash, and his poor performances forced the Swiss manager to replace him with Frenchman Jean-Christophe Boullion, a former Williams test driver and rookie in the top category, who delivered respectable performances and scored 3 points with two points finishes in Germany and Italy.
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| SAUBER C14, Jean-Christophe Boullion Magny-Cours, French GP 1995 |
In the last two races of the season, Sauber gave Wendlinger another opportunity, strongly pushed by the Austrian sponsor, putting him back behind the wheel of the C14, with which he achieved a tenth place and a retirement. For his part, Frentzen confirmed the promise he had shown in 1994, scoring 15 points and managing to step onto the podium in third place at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, the first podium for both Sauber and the German driver. Thanks to the 18 points scored by the C14, the Red Bull Sauber team finished the season in seventh place in the Constructors’ Championship, fighting on equal terms throughout the season with far more prestigious teams such as Jordan, Ligier, and McLaren.
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