Sauber C12

Last updated
Sauber C12
Karl Wendlinger - Sauber C12 during practice for the 1993 British Grand Prix (33302730550).jpg
Karl Wendlinger driving the C12 at Silverstone.
Category Formula One
Constructor Sauber
Designer(s) Harvey Postlethwaite (Technical Director)
Leo Ress (Chief Designer)
Mario Illien (Chief Engine Designer)
Successor Sauber C13
Technical specifications [1]
Chassis Carbon fibre monocoque
Suspension (front) Double wishbones, pushrod
Suspension (rear) Double wishbones, pushrod
Axle track Front: 1,690 mm (67 in)
Rear: 1,610 mm (63 in)
Wheelbase 2,930 mm (115 in)
Engine Sauber (Ilmor) 2175A, 3,496 cc (213.3 cu in), 75° V10, NA, mid-engine, longitudinally mounted
Transmission Sauber / XTrac T 6-speed semi-automatic
Weight505 kg (1,113 lb)
Fuel Elf
Lubricants Liqui Moly
Tyres Goodyear
Competition history
Notable entrants Team Sauber Formula 1
Notable drivers29. Flag of Austria.svg Karl Wendlinger
30. Flag of Finland.svg JJ Lehto
Debut 1993 South African Grand Prix
Last event 1993 Australian Grand Prix
RacesWins Poles F/Laps
16000
Constructors' Championships0
Drivers' Championships0

The Sauber C12 was the car with which the Sauber Formula One team made its FIA Formula One World Championship debut in 1993. Its design was led by Leo Ress.

Contents

Overview

Engine

Power was provided by a Sauber-branded 3.5-litre V10 built by Ilmor in partnership with Mercedes. The C12 was given the prominence of "Concept by Mercedes-Benz" stickers on the engine cowling due to the two parties' close relationship from their World Sportscar Championship program. The engines were re-branded in 1994 to reflect the partnership. [2] [3]

Drivers

Karl Wendlinger was re-united with his former WSC team in preparation for its Grand Prix debut. He already had two seasons of Formula One experience, having made his debut in the 1991 Japanese Grand Prix with Leyton House, while JJ Lehto (Jyrki Järvilehto) had started 38 Grands Prix (not including failures to qualify) between 1989 and 1992.

Racing history

Lehto contributed to a promising start with a 5th-place finish in the South African GP at Kyalami and improved on that with a 4th place classification at Imola, home of the San Marino GP, despite an engine problem. [4]

The C12 had a somewhat mixed record with a total of 12 DNFs due to mechanical failure, including seven engine failures (not including Imola, where Lehto was classified as a finisher). Driver-related incidents accounted for six more DNFs.

The C12 achieved six points finishes and eight non-scoring finishes from 32 starts. It achieved a points total of 12 and 7th place in the Constructors' World Championship standings.

It was replaced at the start of the 1994 season by the Sauber C13.

Livery

The C12 sported a black livery, reminiscent of the C9 Group C prototype sportscar from 1987.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)

YearTeamEngineTyresDrivers12345678910111213141516PointsWCC
1993 Team Sauber Formula 1 Sauber [5] V10 G RSA BRA EUR SMR ESP MON CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR JPN AUS 127th
Flag of Austria.svg Karl Wendlinger RetRetRetRetRet136RetRet96Ret45Ret15
Flag of Finland.svg JJ Lehto 5RetRet4RetRet7Ret8RetRet9Ret78Ret

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea de Cesaris</span> Italian racing driver (1959–2014)

Andrea de Cesaris was an Italian racing driver. He started 208 Formula One Grands Prix but never won, meaning he held the record for the most races started without a race victory from 1991 until Nico Hülkenberg surpassed his total at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix. A string of accidents early in his career earned him a reputation for being a fast but wild driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benetton Formula</span> Former motor racing team

Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from 1986 to 2001. The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000, the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for the 2000 and 2001 seasons. In 2002, the team became Renault. The Benetton Formula team was chaired by Alessandro Benetton from 1988 to 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Sauber</span> Swiss motorsport team owner

Peter Paul Sauber is a retired Swiss motorsport executive. He was the team principal and owner of various motorsports teams, most visibly the eponymous Sauber Formula One team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl Wendlinger</span> Austrian racing driver (born 1968)

Karl Wendlinger is an Austrian professional racing and former Formula One driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JJ Lehto</span> Finnish racing driver (born 1966)

Jyrki Juhani Järvilehto, better known as "JJ Lehto", is a Finnish racing driver. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, in 1995 and 2005. He is also a former Formula One and CART driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sauber Motorsport</span> Swiss Motorsport engineering company

Sauber Motorsport AG currently competing in Formula One as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber and also known simply as Kick Sauber or Sauber, is a Swiss motorsport engineering company. It was founded in 1970 by Peter Sauber, who progressed through hillclimbing and the World Sportscar Championship to reach Formula One in 1993. Sauber operated under their own name from 1993 until 2005 and from 2011 until 2018. They were known as BMW Sauber from 2006 to 2010 and as Alfa Romeo from 2019 to 2023 in partnership deals with BMW and Alfa Romeo, respectively. Sauber returned in 2024 as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, and is set to be the Audi works team from 2026 onwards, with the German outfit planning to acquire the Swiss team.

Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains is a Formula One engine manufacturer, owned by Mercedes-Benz.

Throughout its long history, Mercedes-Benz has been involved in a range of successful motorsport activities, including sportscar racing, touring car racing, Grand Prix racing, and rallying. It is currently active in GT racing, and Formula One. Mercedes is also one of only three constructors to complete the Triple Crown of Motorsport, a feat that Mercedes achieved as both a chassis manufacturer and an engine manufacturer by winning the 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Italian motor manufacturer Alfa Romeo has participated multiple times in Formula One. The brand has competed in motor racing as both a constructor and engine supplier sporadically between 1950 and 1987, and later as a commercial partner between 2015 and 2023. The company's works drivers won the first two World Drivers' Championships in the pre-war Alfetta: Nino Farina in 1950 and Juan Manuel Fangio in 1951. Following these successes, Alfa Romeo withdrew from Formula One.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sauber C22</span> Formula One racing car

The Sauber C22 was the car with which the Sauber Petronas team competed in the 2003 Formula One World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valtteri Bottas</span> Finnish racing driver (born 1989)

Valtteri Viktor Bottas is a Finnish racing driver, currently competing in Formula One for Sauber. Bottas twice finished runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 2019 and 2020 with Mercedes, and has won 10 Grands Prix across 12 seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esteban Gutiérrez</span> Mexican racing driver (born 1991)

Esteban Manuel Gutiérrez Gutiérrez is a Mexican former racing driver and businessman, who competed in Formula One from 2013 to 2016.

Brawn GP was a Formula One constructor which competed in the 2009 Formula One World Championship, with drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. The team was formed in 2009 by a management buyout led by Ross Brawn of the Honda Racing F1 Team, after Honda announced their withdrawal from the sport in December 2008 due to the global financial crisis. The team started development of their car in early 2008, when still owned by Honda. For the 2009 season, Honda provided a $100 million budget, while Mercedes provided engines under a customer relationship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brawn BGP 001</span> Formula One racing automobile

The Brawn BGP 001 is a Formula One world championship winning racing car, the design of which was started by Honda Racing, and completed and then built by the team after it was renamed to Brawn GP. It was the first and only Formula One car constructed by the Brawn GP team, and was used to contest the 2009 Formula One season. The car won eight out of the seventeen Grands Prix it competed in. It was notable for its unusual double diffuser, and its legality was disputed, though it was ultimately deemed legal by the FIA.

Mercedes-Benz, a German luxury automotive brand of the Mercedes-Benz Group, has been involved in Formula One as both team owner and engine manufacturer for various periods since 1954. The current Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team is based in Brackley, England, and possesses a German licence. An announcement was made in December 2020 that Ineos planned to take a one third equal ownership stake alongside the Mercedes-Benz Group and Toto Wolff; this came into effect on 25 January 2022. Mercedes-branded teams are often referred to by the nickname, the "Silver Arrows".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Formula One drivers from Finland</span> List of Formula One drivers who competed as Finnish

There have been nine Formula One drivers from Finland who have taken part in races since the championship began in 1950. Three drivers have won the World Drivers' Championship, with Keke Rosberg being the first in 1982. Mika Häkkinen won it in 1998 and retained it in 1999, becoming the first - and so far only - Finnish double world champion. Kimi Räikkönen is the most recent Finnish champion having won the title in 2007. Finland is considered to have an unusually high amount of successful Formula One drivers for a country of its relatively small size.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Formula One drivers from the Netherlands</span> List of Formula One drivers from the Netherlands

There have been seventeen Formula One racing drivers from the Netherlands who have taken part in Grand Prix races since 1952. Max Verstappen is the most successful Dutch driver to date, as the only one to have won a Formula One World Championship, to have won a race, or to have taken a pole position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Australian Grand Prix</span> Formula One motor race

The 2015 Australian Grand Prix, formally titled the 2015 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix, was a Formula One motor race that was held on 15 March 2015 in Melbourne. The race was contested over fifty-eight laps of the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit and was the first round of the 2015 FIA Formula One World Championship. The race marked the 80th race in the combined history of the Australian Grand Prix – which dates back to the 100 Miles Road Race of 1928 – and the 20th time the event was held at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Formula One World Championship</span> 69th season of FIA Formula One World Championship

The 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship was the motor racing championship for Formula One cars and the 69th running of the Formula One World Championship. Formula One is recognised by the governing body of international motorsport, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. Drivers and teams competed in twenty-one Grands Prix for the World Drivers' and World Constructors' championship titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz FO engine</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Mercedes-Benz FO engine series is a family of naturally-aspirated V8 and V10 racing engines, designed, developed and produced by Mercedes, in partnership and collaboration with Ilmor, for Formula One, and used between 1993 and 2013. Over years of development, engine power managed to increase, from 690 @ 15,600 rpm, to later 930 hp @ 19,000 rpm. The customer engines were used by Sauber, McLaren, Brawn GP, and Force India.

References

  1. "Sauber C12 • STATS F1" . Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  2. "Sauber - Entrant" . forix.autosport.com. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  3. Cooper, Adam (14 March 2023). "Why a Mercedes U-turn couldn't deny Sauber's F1 debut surprise" . Autosport . Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  4. "Participations • Sauber C12" . forix.autosport.com. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  5. "Engine Sauber • STATS F1" . Retrieved 15 December 2021.