After the good results achieved in '97, the undisguised goal of Peter Sauber's Swiss team for the '98 season was undoubtedly to close the gap with the top teams in the championship, aiming to follow the example set by Jordan, which experienced a strong rise in 1997. On the eve of the new season, the Swiss team appeared more solid and strengthened compared to previous years, being able to count on two experienced drivers: Frenchman Jean Alesi, arriving from Benetton after a long stint with Ferrari, and Englishman Johnny Herbert, entering his third consecutive year with the team. With the intention of continuing the development of the good C16 from '97, the technical staff of the Hinwil-based team in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland, remained virtually unchanged, reflecting Peter Sauber's desire for continuity. The trusted Leo Ress, designer of all Sauber single-seaters since the team's debut in Formula 1, continued as Technical Director, Ian Thompson remained Head of Chassis Design, and Aerodynamics was still overseen by Rene Hilhorst, assisted by engineer Mike Jenning.
 |
| SAUBER C17, Jean Alesi Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1998 |
The new Sauber C17 was indeed the result of a very conservative project aimed at consolidating the good qualities shown by the previous C16 while improving on the few weaknesses that emerged during the '97 season. The most evident innovation was in the nose cone, now higher with a flatter, less curved upper surface compared to the previous version, featuring two “horns” shaping the front torsion bars. Following prevailing trends, the new C17's sidepods had more sinuous shapes, slightly carved inward, while the engine cover was almost straight, with the air intake above the driver's head set back and separated from the cover itself. Due to new lateral crash test requirements, the cockpit was also slightly modified, more squared-off with a deeper driving position to lower the car's center of gravity. Notably, the Sauber C17 would become the last Formula 1 car to feature the classic round steering wheel, as from the '99 season, even the Swiss team's cars would adopt new rectangular “computer steering wheels” allowing better visibility, given the continuous lowering of the driving position. Alesi's C17 was also the last car to have the classic clutch pedal, with the Frenchman reluctant to use the clutch on the steering wheel.
 |
| SAUBER C17, Jean Alesi Silverstone, British GP 1998 |
For 1998, the technical partnership with Ferrari continued, with Sauber receiving the V10 type 046 engines used by the Modena team in '97, rebranded as Petronas SPE-01D. The Malaysian oil company Petronas once again financed the high cost of acquiring the Maranello V10s, also providing technical support for the updates made to the SPE-01D during the season. Additionally, this year Sauber benefited from the expertise of Osamu Goto, former head of Honda engines in the '80s and Ferrari engines in the '90s, who adapted the Maranello V10s to the specific requirements of the Sauber cars, repositioning some components to lower the engine's center of gravity and make it more compact, although the exhausts were placed very high, partly negating the work done on the engine. Paired with the Italian V10 was a completely new six-speed longitudinal semi-automatic gearbox, built directly by Sauber with more advanced and lighter materials. The chassis, a carbon fiber monocoque with honeycomb structure, was entirely new, while the suspension, though newly designed, followed the '97 scheme, with double wishbones and push-rod configuration.
 |
| SAUBER C17, Jean Alesi Montréal, Canadian GP 1998 |
The new C17's livery was designed by Giugiaro's Italian “Ital Design” and, while maintaining the classic blue and turquoise colors of sponsors Red Bull and Petronas, now featured brighter shades and unique graphics. The three cars present at each Grand Prix, the spare car plus those of Alesi and Herbert, differed by the color of the cockpit interior and mirrors: red for Alesi, yellow for Herbert, and turquoise for the spare car. Like many other teams' cars, the Sauber C17 used X-Wings during the early races of the season, later banned starting with the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. Despite the speed and good performance of the new C17, the '98 season yielded poor results, mainly due to low reliability caused by an excessive focus on performance, shedding weight wherever possible to use more ballast.
 |
| SAUBER C17, Jean Alesi Imola, San Marino GP 1998 |
The Swiss team was unable to repeat the excellent results of the previous season, even though the car was faster and more competitive than the C16. Alesi, even in races where he was close to the leaders, was often forced to retire, almost always betrayed by gearbox fragility, managing to score points in only four races, including a podium finish at Spa-Francorchamps where he placed third. Herbert, after an early-season breakthrough in Melbourne with a sixth-place finish, could not regain competitiveness and, like his teammate, was plagued by the C17's reliability issues, forced to retire 8 times out of 16 starts. At the end of the season, Sauber scored only 10 points, six fewer than the previous year, but improved its position in the Constructors’ Championship to sixth place, achieving its best result since the team's inception.
Comments
Post a Comment