When you hear the name Sauber, your first thought is of a midfield outfit that has often shown potential but rarely delivered on its promise to realise the dream of winning races and world titles.
Indeed, their only win came under the guise of BMW ownership when Robert Kubica won the Canadian Grand Prix in 2008 in a 1-2 finish alongside team-mate Nick Heidfeld.
Even a potential title battle was on the cards for Kubica that year, but it was decided that with the 2009 regulations looming, focus had to be turned to the development of the following season and any hopes of a full on title tilt were dashed.
2012 was another good season, Sergio Perez was on the cusp of victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix if were not for a small mistake in chasing down Fernando Alonso in the final stages of the race.
Two further podiums came for Perez in Canada and Italy, while team-mate Kamui Kobayashi scored his first and only podium in F1 at his home race in Japan, despite the good results, it still only meant a sixth place finish in the constructors’ championship.
Since 2014, however, the Hinwil-based outfit has endured one of the worst slumps in their 25-year stay in the sport. Issues, including a lack of funds, loss of sponsors and conflicts over which drivers will race their cars, have plagued the team’s ability to knuckle down and focus forward.
Optimism increased when the Longbow Finance consortium bought the Swiss team in 2016 and have since already made changes within the team’s management. While it’s unknown about how much of a cash flow they are intending to put into the team, it does provide a solid structure to continue rebuilding.
Their C35 chassis was developed in the mid-season, enabling them to challenge Manor for 10th place in the Constructors’ championship, a challenge which ultimately came to fruition with the efforts of the now departed Felipe Nasr at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
With a firm baseline to make progress, sponsors may also look at the team in a brighter light and be willing to spend their money on a team that can show promise and potential in their efforts to move up the grid.
Mercedes junior driver, Pascal Wehrlein joins the team for 2017 alongside Marcus Ericsson, a partnership that should be quite exciting.
The German will be very keen to prove to his main employers why he should have been in the main team and not Valtteri Bottas, while Ericsson will no doubt look to assert himself as a team leader and drive the team forward.
Team principal Monisha Kaltenborn has even tipped the Swede to be a race winner given the right car, which is certainly high praise indeed.
Liberty Media’s recent purchase of F1 could also provide Sauber, among other teams with a lifeline of support with claims they wish to redistribute the near $1bn prize fund much more evenly, this would certainly help keep the books balanced better for many on the grid.
Heading into 2017 and beyond, Sauber has many options that lie ahead of them, one of which lies in which power unit may power them in the future.
With reports that the Ferrari partnership they have utilised since 1997, not counting the BMW ownership in that time between 2006 and 2010, looks set to come to an end, Honda has surfaced as a potential replacement.
Some may argue that this could well be a move that can backfire, given Honda’s performance since their return to F1 in 2015 with McLaren, however now that the development token system has gone for the power units, Honda could well catch up very quickly with the leading unit of Mercedes.
Honda has been looking to expand its program so Sauber could very make a good choice in negotiating a deal with the Japanese manufacturer as they look to find alternative ways of moving forward. Sauber-Honda almost has a nice ring to it don’t you think?
Sauber is now in a position where they now have the opportunities and potential to make further moves up the grid. With a young and hungry driver line-up, long-term investment in the team and a potentially great power unit package lined up.
With the many years of experience the Swiss outfit has, Sauber could well be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, the time it takes to get there is the biggest question of all.
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