Sauber launches C30 at Valencia Circuit

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Sauber F1 Team unveils its 2011 season car "C30" at Valencia Circuit, Spain

Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez unveiled the new Sauber C30-Ferrari at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia on Monday, 31st Jan, 2011.

Sauber hope the Ferrari-powered C30 will form the basis of a more stable 2011 campaign and help them better last year’s eighth place in the constructors’ standings.

The ban on double diffusers means that the aerodynamics on the C30 differ greatly from last year’s C29 and the car also incorporates the new driver-adjustable rear-wing and KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), which is supplied by Ferrari, who also provide the transmission system and the engine.

For the performance targets, Team principal Peter Sauber said:

“We want to finish in the points regularly and clearly improve our position in the FIA Formula One Constructors’ World Championship.” He goes on to elaborate: “Two thousand and ten marked the 41st year of our company history and one of the most difficult. But we managed to overcome these difficulties in the second half of the season. We implemented some well-considered structural changes.

“The appointment of James Key as Technical Director already bore fruit last season, and he is now in charge of development of the Sauber C30-Ferrari.

Technical director James Key said: "Our aim in the development of the Sauber C30-Ferrari has been to build on the strengths of the C29 and to eliminate its weak points.

The C30 that appears on the grid in Bahrain at the first race of the season will have a new aerodynamic package to the one shown at the launch today. The two race drivers, along with test driver Esteban Gutièrrez, will be developing the C30 over the four pre-season test sessions.

Kobayashi is hoping to build on the strong performances from last season and avoid any unnecessary accidents. “My rookie season is now behind me,” said the Japanese driver. “I learned a lot, gained a lot of self-confidence, and my target for 2011 is not to make any mistakes.”

Sergio Pérez, the rookie Mexican driver, knows that he has a lot to learn over the coming weeks and months. The 2010 GP2 runner-up enters Formula 1 with no illusions as to the pressure he is under:

“I’m aware how challenging Formula One is from both a driver’s point of view and technically,” said Pérez. “I’ve got a lot to learn, and in Kamui I have an excellent yardstick. My personal goal is to make steady progress. The support I’m getting back in my home country is huge, and I don’t want to disappoint anyone over there either.”