By Jamie Makin
July 9 2004

For the third back-to-back race of the season, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on 11 July, SAUBER PETRONAS will have new rear bodywork and the latest B specification version of the PETRONAS V10 engine. Team SAUBER PETRONAS left Magny-Cours, France after a frustrating weekend. Giancarlo Fisichella and Felipe Massa finished 12th and 13th respectively after starting 15th and 16th on the grid. Although they managed to gain a few positions, the race experienced a near record low attrition rate with only two cars dropping out. Struggling on problematic Bridgestone rubber, the team had little chance to get anywhere near the points-paying positions.

The team has put the frustration behind them now and is prepared to tackle the final race in an unprecedented series of six races in the last eight weekends. This weekend finds them at the Silverstone Circuit in England, where they will renew their fight to maintain sixth place in the constructors championship and build a larger gap ahead of Toyota and Jaguar.

Fisichella's best finish at Silverstone came in 1998 with Benetton when he finished in 5th place. He will be looking to finish in the points this weekend to add to his tally of 10 so far this season. A recent test at the track has given Fisichella the confidence he needs in Sauber to provide him a competitive car for the race. "Silverstone is a very good track, and we had a good test there in mid-May. We did a lot of laps and even though I was running alone so there was no rubber down, we did a 1m 18.3s lap, which is competitive," explained the Italian. "We will have the new front wing from Magny-Cours and some new bodywork, so with more downforce since then I think we can do really well. You need a stable car at Silverstone because of the high-speed directional change that is necessary, particularly in the Becketts complex. That is a real buzz when you are driving there, and I remember when I was in Formula Three going down to watch there and being very impressed. It´s pretty special. Bridge is fun, though nowadays it´s easy flat and less of a challenge than it used to be."

Sauber's continual flow of new parts from the wind tunnel will provide Fisichella a much improved car over the team's last outing. The team's much touted new cooling system will be installed on both race cars, and the Petronas engine will undergo its first major upgrade of the season as well.

Technical Director, Willy Rampf talks about the improvements made for this weekend. "Since our test in Silverstone before the Monaco Grand Prix we have added the new front wing that we used in Magny-Cours, and for this race we will also have revised rear bodywork. This is the second step in the package of new radiators that we introduced at Monaco. The engine cover is lower and this will enhance airflow over the rear wing, and this has only been possible because the new radiators created such an efficient cooling system. We have not been able to test the new bodywork prior to the British Grand Prix, but we are confident it is an improvement from our wind tunnel tests and will make a full assessment in Friday practice. Furthermore we will use in Silverstone for the first time the latest B specification version of the PETRONAS V10 engine, which has more horsepower than the currently used A unit."

Silverstone is a favorite test track for many of the British teams. Their familiarity with it will combine with the "home field" advantage in giving Sauber some serious competition. The team will have a lot working in their favor with the new car, but both drivers must work well with their engineers to maximize the setup to suit the track conditions.

"Silverstone is an extremely demanding circuit," commented Rampf. "There are some very high-speed sections so aerodynamic efficiency is critical. High-speed stability is paramount through the Maggotts/Becketts sweeps where the drivers have to make accurate directional changes without upsetting the equilibrium of the car. You also need good traction and grip through the infield section of the lap after Bridge Corner, which these days in an F1 car is flat-out. In the slower corners you also are looking for good controllability, but the braking energy here is low. The tyre degradation is relatively high so we run quite hard tyres."

Sometimes though, it is the sheer determination of the driver that can overcome any shortcomings in the car itself. Brazilian Felipe Massa is clearly charged up and ready to race. "This is a very nice track, and I love driving there," he said, despite having only raced there once before. He brought his Sauber home in 9th place in the partially wet race in 2002. "There are a lot of quick corners that I really enjoy. Copse is quicker than you think, just a quick downshift and then straight back hard on the power, and I like Stowe, too. Very high speed with some hard braking. Then there are some medium-speed corners and a couple of slow ones too. It´s a good mixture. The tyre degradation is quite high, so we tend to go for harder tyres. We recently had a good test at Silverstone and the car went really well, so even though the UK teams tend to have a small advantage from testing there so much, I think we will be competitive and I´m looking forward to a strong race." This could turn into a case of mind over matter for Massa as he battles for points this weekend.

The most unpredictable element of the British Grand Prix is of course the chance for rain. Silverstone is particularly prone to it, and some forecasters are already warning for showers on race day. Rain could easily shift the advantage to Sauber's court. The Bridgestone-shod teams are still expected to maintain a significant advantage over their Michelin counterparts in wet conditions, even though there has not been a wet race since Indianapolis last fall. Fisichella himself goes particularly well in the rain. His maiden win came at the rain-soaked Brazilian Grand Prix last year and his only other points of the season came from a 7th place finish in Indianapolis. It may be too much to hope for, but rain on Sunday could give Fisichella the chance to give Sauber their first Formula One victory.

---