For the young Swiss team Sauber, the good results achieved during their first three seasons in Formula 1 were enough to establish themselves as a solid mid-to-upper-tier contender, right behind the top teams Williams-Renault, Benetton-Renault, Ferrari, and McLaren-Mercedes. The excellent managerial skills of Peter Sauber enabled the team to secure, already in 1995, financial support from two wealthy sponsors, Red Bull and Petronas, as well as the exclusive supply of Ford-Cosworth V8 engines, which had been used in 1994 by Benetton during Michael Schumacher’s first world championship victory. The most important technical innovation introduced with the new Sauber C15, used by the Swiss team in the 1996 championship, came precisely from Cosworth.
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| SAUBER C15, Johnny Herbert Hungaroring, Hungarian GP 1996 |
Starting again from the base of the previous V8 ECA Zetec-R from 1995, the British engine manufacturer developed a new, more powerful V10, adapting to the engine configuration that had become increasingly popular in the mid-1990s. The new JD Zetec-R V10 had a 72° V structure, a displacement of 2,992 cc, and produced 680 hp at 15,800 rpm from the first bench tests, reaching 720 hp at 16,500 rpm during the season, matching the performance of the best V10s on the grid. However, due to the new configuration, weight reduction, and high-rev vibration issues, the JD turned out to be a rather fragile and unreliable engine, causing numerous problems for the Swiss cars. For the design of the new C15, Peter Sauber once again relied on the trusted Leo Ress, who had been with Sauber from the beginning and had designed all the Swiss single-seaters since their debut in Formula 1. In the 1996 season, Ress was promoted to technical director in addition to chief designer. Meanwhile, former technical director André de Cortanze and head of aerodynamics Heinz Zoellner left the team, with Rene Hilhorst joining from Minardi to take over aerodynamics. Engineer Mike Jennings was also hired for the aero department, underlining how, even in the mid-'90s, aerodynamics was seen as a crucial element.
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| SAUBER C15, Johnny Herbert Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1996 |
The nosecone, still raised and featuring a full-width front wing supported by two pylons, adopted a less curved and more linear shape on the C15, following the style of Benetton and Williams. The flow diverters behind the front wheels were generously sized, almost touching the sidepods, which were higher and further back compared to the 1995 C14. At the end of the sidepods were the typical lateral panels extending to the rear wing, which had more refined shapes and resembled the Benetton-Renault design. The new chassis, made from honeycomb carbon fiber composite, featured new double wishbone suspension with push-rod configuration and a combined spring/damper unit. The new Ford-Cosworth V10 was paired with a longitudinal semi-automatic gearbox derived from X-Trac, which had already been used on the C14 but was further improved and reinforced.
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| SAUBER C15, Heinz-Harald Frentzen Estoril, Portuguese GP 1996 |
The livery changed once again, dropping the bluish-purple color associated with the Red Bull brand used the previous season. Instead, the upper part of the car adopted a brighter blue typical of the Austrian beverage brand, while the sidepods featured the trademark aquamarine green of sponsor Petronas, brightened further with Red Bull’s red and yellow accents. The team's lead driver was once again German Heinz-Harald Frentzen, in his third consecutive season with Sauber, while Englishman Johnny Herbert was brought in as the second driver, coming off an excellent season at Benetton alongside Michael Schumacher.
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| SAUBER C15, Heinz-Harald Frentzen Imola, San Marino GP 1996 |
Despite Peter Sauber’s efforts to strengthen the team, the 1996 season turned out to be far less successful than the previous one. The car suffered from poor reliability and subpar performance compared to the top-tier competitors. Frentzen, in particular, was affected by the C15’s reliability issues, forced to retire nine times and scoring points in only three races, his best results being two fourth-place finishes in Monaco and Barcelona, and a sixth place in the final race in Japan. His teammate Herbert managed to secure the Swiss team’s only podium of 1996, finishing third in the chaotic Monaco Grand Prix, where only three cars crossed the finish line. That third place was also Herbert’s only points finish of the season. Together with Frentzen’s results, Sauber accumulated just 11 points, finishing seventh in the Constructors’ Championship, a result well below expectations and a serious setback for a team hoping to rise among Formula 1’s top contenders.
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