Sauber (www.sauber.ch)

Swiss based Sauber gears up for another round of F1 racing in 2004. The team which brought Red Bull to America is looking to improve on last years 6th place finish in the Constructors Championship. It won’t be easy.

Sauber is one of those teams that just seems to always changing drivers and staying in the second half of the pack. 2004 is no exception. Replacing one driver always disrupts a teams chemistry and flow. But changing two is killer. This year, defending Brazilian Grand Prix champion Giancarlo Fisichella and Felipe Massa replace departing drivers Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Nick Heidfeld. Honestly this is not the kind of change a team makes to get to the front of the pack. But one wonders if the front of the pack is really where Peter Sauber wants his team to go.

Does he really want to spend the money that Williams and McClaren spend and does he have the financial pockets and resources of a Ferrari or a Renault?

Sauber will probably compete with the C23-03 chassis this season, although they have had the C23-02 out for practice. So far they seem pleased. Results have been typical Sauber to a little better than expected. In Jerez, Massa was 12th out of 15, 10th out of 12 and 4th out of 14. Fisichella was 13th, 9th and 5th. At Imola they were about the same, but at least showing improvement daily at both tracks.

Sauber will go with Bridgestone tyres and while labeled the Petronas 04 the engine still has a strong resemblance to the Ferrari engine they were being supplied with a couple of years ago. They will continue to sport the Petronas colors as well as those of the great vodka mixer, Red Bull.

As usual, if you are wagering on the races you will probably be advised to stay away from Sauber. While the drivers are okay, they aren’t top tier and with two new drivers the team is bound to struggle early.