This time last year, Sauber were dead last. Once a solid contender in the midfield, with the potential to steal an opportunistic podium, the Swiss team were now an F1 also-ran. But motivation was high. Why? Because an air of change had been sweeping through the halls of their Hinwil base in Switzerland. And the first signs of a resurrection were evident as they bounced back with aplomb this year.
Eighth in the constructors’ championship may not sound like much progress. But it was, considering where Sauber had been. And excitingly for them, they had the fourth fastest car on several occasions in the closing part of the season, evidenced by Charles Leclerc’s string of seventh place finishes in the last three races.
Working back to 2016, Sauber’s future was bleak. Salaries weren’t being paid, staff were leaving because of the uncertainty. But then Longbow Finance stepped in. “This was the change,” Team Manager Beat Zehnder, who has been with the Swiss outfit since 1994, tells Formula1.com. “Money plays the crucial role, especially in F1. You can pay suppliers and have the finances to develop the car, to use the tools that you have. We had a fantastic windtunnel which we didn’t use for almost two consecutive years as we didn’t even have the money to power it.”
