Sauber - Ferrari: 'privileged relationship' could have been better

The team lost its sponsor Red Bull who fielded their own entity, and the relationship with Ferrari soured, and the team, for the first time, used the Michelin tyres against the tradition of following Ferrari’s approach. However, BMW infused new life and the team flourished in its new guise.

Before the relationship with Ferrari turned sour, and at a time when Sauber decided to opt for Michelin tyres, Pierre Dupasquier, who was the head of the competition department for Michelin, in an interview to Atlas F1 stated that the French Company will support Sauber but not in terms of tyre development due to the ‘privileged relationship’ that Sauber has with Ferrari, which could possibly mean that information of the tyre development could reach Ferrari’s preferred supplier Bridgestone.

“But we have not yet defined the level of advanced technology we will provide Sauber. We will give them all our support on the tyres, of course, but as far as development goes, it depends. We’re prepared to do anything that has to be done [to support Sauber], but at the same time…since they have a very privileged relationship with Ferrari – at least in 2005 – we will evaluate that situation carefully.” – Pierre Dupasquier

It was also reported that the data transfer between Sauber and Ferrari over the tyres happened in 2005 as Sauber technically employs some persons from the Ferrari camp, although they use the rebadged Petronas Engines.

One of the common talk on why the relationship with Ferrari turned sour was due to the lack of political voice that Ferrari wished to hear from its customers. Back in 2004, Peter Sauber raised his voice against the decision adopted by Ferrari not to restrict the testing and this caused a ripple effect on the relationship between the two parties, as the decision had to be unanimous among the teams. It also has to be noted that Ferrari demanded a massive sum (money, among others) from its customers for the supply of engines and other components, which didn’t go well with Sauber who wanted a resource restriction in place.

There was a significant tension visible from the end of 2004 season, and many people constantly debated on the Sauber – Ferrari story. There was a particular debate that was happening at one end of the spectrum that if Sauber decides to switch over to a new supplier, Michelin would help Sauber from its side and the pace of the car could be up by 0.5 seconds. While some stated that the Sauber should stick with Ferrari as opting for a new supplier would eventually mean the end of the team’s momentum.

After the team’s overhaul in 2010, Sauber restored their partnership with Ferrari. Although the technical challenges ahead of this team were much larger as compared to the previous decade, the team’s best performance was in 2012 when they clinched the podium on more than one occasion, and much of it could be the design ideology adapted by James Key who ensured that the Sauber is easy on its tyres.

After the exit of James Key and other personalities, Sauber’s story in 2013 is particularly not an easy one to accept. It has to be said that the deal with Nico Hulkenberg was a desperate attempt to satisfy Ferrari who were disappointed that the team has decided to part ways with Perez. Both Perez and Hulkenberg were said to be under the long term radar of Ferrari and Sauber went all out to secure the services of Hulkenberg.

Relevance of Sauber

With the shrinking presence of traditional teams, Sauber’s experience is crucial for the future of Formula 1. Despite being the traditional midfielders for over a decade, they have been quite relevant to the world of Formula 1, especially Ferrari, and their performances are more or less consistent, and it’s important to not to lose another team in Formula 1. Despite Ferrari’s attitude over Sauber then and even now, Ferrari could have considered extending more technology transfer similar to what most teams on the grid deploy to boost their performance.

Although it has to be agreed that Ferrari are now easy with their approach on Sauber considering the lack of customers for their 2014 engine unit, and how crucial the mileage will play on the development front, Ferrari could still have offered more support to this Swiss team.