Sauber puts its system aside

The revolutionary innovation of McLaren Is she that amazing? For certain informed observers from the different teams, the speed gain is obvious in a straight line, allowing the car to cut through the air with greater efficiency and less aerodynamic downforce.

For others, its advantage is not undeniable. This is particularly the case of Renault, who did not wish to work on this system, considered expensive without the benefit being obvious. “ This would require us to modify the general aerodynamics of the car, with the design of a new monocoque, which would represent a huge investment., Eric Boullier, team principal, told us. We would do it if McLaren was far ahead and the effectiveness of this system was proven. For the moment, this is not the case. »

At Sauber, doubt is in order. The stable ofHinwil was the first to adapt this system but has not yet adopted it. In fact, it was tested on Friday, without any obvious conclusion emerging. Unlike McLaren, the Sauber's air intake is located above the left sidepod. But, this Saturday, these gills no longer appear on the Hinwil single-seaters.

The team told us that the system could not be 100% tested in order to be able to install it permanently on the C29, the engineers preferring to run Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi with a car in “classic” configuration for the qualifying session and the race.

However, this airflow control system will be tested again during free testing in Malaysia next weekend. If its effectiveness is proven, it should find its lasting place on the single-seaters of Kobayashi and La Rosa during the following Grands Prix.