Sauber Goes Back to Ferrari for 2018 Formula One Season
The Sauber F1 team has announced a multi-year agreement with Scuderia Ferrari that will see the Italian manufacturer continue to supply Sauber with Formula One engines for the 2018 season and beyond.
Ferrari has powered Sauber F1 cars for a total of 17 years since 1997, though that collaboration streak had come very close to ending next year, as Sauber had sought to switch to Honda power after it was unable to afford putting the latest Ferrari engine in its 2017 cars (the Sauber C36 is instead powered by Ferrari’s 2016 Abu Dhabi-spec power unit).
Though a deal had been struck, Honda and Sauber yesterday announced that they had cancelled their agreement, having failed to agree on future direction after former team principal Monisha Kaltenborn left the team ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. That once again leaves McLaren as the only team powered by the Japanese company.
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For the 2018 season, Sauber will finally use the latest-spec Ferrari power unit, which should help them gain valuable lap time, and—given the current state of Honda in Formula One—may well prove to have been the better decision.
“I am very pleased to confirm that we will continue to work with Scuderia Ferrari as our engine supplier in form of a multi-year agreement,” said Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal, Sauber F1 Team.
“The shared experience between the Sauber F1 Team and Ferrari has built a strong foundation, which will allow us to move forward swiftly and efficiently, also in terms of the development of the 2018 car. I am convinced that together we can achieve the results which reflect the passion and determination that is, and always has been, behind the Sauber F1 Team.”
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Source: Sauber F1 Team
Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.