By Phil Huff
February 9 2003

Strictly speaking, Sauber's Formula One campaign began almost 12 years ago. When faced with the looming decline of the Sportscar World Championship in the early 1990s, Mercedes-Benz and Sauber reviewed their future in motor sports, and F1 called. With preparations well under way both in Stuttgart and in Hinwil, nothing seemed to oppose the departure to new shores. Therefore, when Mercedes announced its decision not to enter Formula One after all, the altered situation was all the more difficult for Peter Sauber to cope with.

What next? What was to become of the only recently completed high technology factory in Hinwil? Of the extensive racing know-how? The personnel who had already been employed in expectation of the move to Formula One? In January 1992, Peter Sauber decided to take the step alone. He was financially supported by Mercedes, but still bore much of the risk himself.

Mercedes' failing commitment to Formula One diminished the basis of the project as well as having other repercussions. For instance designer Harvey Postlethwaite, disappointed by Mercedes' decision, left after only five months to sign up with Ferrari.

Nevertheless, two Sauber C12s were standing on the grid in Kyalami on 14 March 1993 to race in the Grand Prix of South Africa. JJ Lehto's fifth place turned Sauber's debut into success. Apart from Alfa Romeo in the very first World Championship race in 1950, only three other newcomers were able to score points in their debut race.

After two good years from a sporting point of view but nonetheless interspersed with much financial turbulence, contracts signed with Ford, Red Bull and PETRONAS introduced a turnaround. Although Team Sauber was not spared setbacks on the result side, it eventually became part of the Formula One establishment.

In 1997, the way from middle class to the top was smoothed somewhat by an agreement on technical co-operation with Ferrari. In the framework of this agreement, PETRONAS became Sauber's official engine supplier.

The actual breakthrough was still a while to come - some four more years. But then, three highlights in the team's 10-year history came in quick succession: In 2001, Credit Suisse became a partner, fourth place in the Constructors' World Championships was secure from mid-October and the ground-breaking ceremony for the team's own wind tunnel was held only a few days later.

In 10 years, Sauber's Formula One staff has increased from approximately 70 to 280 and the annual budget is now four times what it was in 1993.

Between 1993 and 2002 Team Sauber took part in 163 out of 165 Grands Prix. The two forfeits concerned the GP of Monaco in 1994 and the GP of Brazil in 2000. In Monaco, Karl Wendlinger was involved in a serious accident while in Brazil, rear wing breakages, which had occurred during practice, forced the team to step down for safety reasons.

So theoretically, the 15 Sauber pilots could have raced in 326 Grands Prix, yet they only started 323 times, because on three occasions merely one of the team's drivers took part in the race: A convalescent Karl Wendlinger missed the GP of Spain in 1994, Johnny Herbert could not restart in Australia in 1996 due to a crash he had been involved in, and Gianni Morbidelli did not compete in Japan in 1997 due to a hand injury, which he had received during practice.

Team Sauber completed 177 races - 66 of them among the first six - and, by contrast, dropped out of 146; in five of these, the drivers were nevertheless classified: Johnny Herbert in Imola in 1994 even as fourth. Twice, a Sauber driver has been disqualified: Johnny Herbert in France in 1996 due to irregular front wings and Mika Salo in Australia in 2000 because the front wing was placed too closely to the front wheels.

Five third places have been the team's best results so far. On two occasions, though, the team came very close to winning. At Monaco in 1996, Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished fourth; in an attempt to overtake Eddie Irvine, he collided with the Ferrari and was subsequently slowed down by two further pit stops. Jean Alesi spun off the track in the rain in 1999 in France just before the safety car came on.

Team Sauber completed its first decade in Formula in 2002 with a respectable fifth place in the Constructors' World Championship. At the beginning of the second decade, everyone involved is motivated to continue on the same way, to improve on all levels and to be, one day, the 27th team among the Grand Prix winners.

At Sauber's high tech centre in Hinwil, covering more than 8,000 square metres, some 280 specialists work exclusively for Formula One, another 50 people are employed by various regional suppliers, manufacturing components for the SAUBER PETRONAS race cars.

For the design and the construction of the cars, the team uses state of the art equipment including CAD and CFD systems, infrastructure for the fabrication of all mechanical parts, as well as two autoclaves for the production of most carbon fibre parts. In summer 1999, a seven-post rig was installed in a separate building, facilitating simulation of the exact behaviour the suspension on any race track. On 20 October 2001, the ground-breaking ceremony was held for Sauber's biggest project so far, the construction of a wind tunnel, which will be operational by the end of 2003.