Sauber C17

Last updated
Sauber C17
Sauber C17.jpg
Category Formula One
Constructor Sauber
Designer(s) Leo Ress (Technical Director)
Ian Thomson (Head of Chassis Design)
Rene Hilhorst (Head of Aerodynamics)
Mike Jennings (Principal Aerodynamicist)
Predecessor Sauber C16
Successor Sauber C18
Technical specifications
Chassis carbon-fibre and honeycomb composite structure
Suspension (front)double wishbones, pushrod, inboard spring/damper unit
Suspension (rear)double wishbones, pushrod, inboard spring/damper unit
Engine Petronas SPE01D (Ferrari), 75-degree V10
Transmission Sauber six-speed longitudinal sequential semi-automatic
Fuel Petronas
Tyres Goodyear
Competition history
Notable entrants Red Bull Sauber Petronas
Notable drivers14. Flag of France.svg Jean Alesi
15. Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Johnny Herbert
Debut 1998 Australian Grand Prix
RacesWins Podiums Poles F/Laps
160100
Constructors' Championships0
Drivers' Championships0

The Sauber C17 was the car with which the Sauber Formula One team competed in the 1998 Formula One season. It was driven by Jean Alesi, who joined from Benetton, and Johnny Herbert, who was in his third season with the team after an impressive 1997 season.

1998 confirmed Sauber's position as a respectable midfield runner unable to make the final breakthrough needed to become a top team. The team's package was quick and reliable, but not quite enough to regularly score points. Indeed, Alesi and Herbert finished just outside the points, in seventh, no less than five times. The highlight of the year was Alesi's run to third at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix to score the team's fourth podium since their F1 début in 1993. This capped an encouraging season for the Frenchman, who was duly kept on for another year. Herbert, despite a points finish in the first race of the season, lost his motivation after a sequence of bad luck and narrowly missing out on further points. He decided to move to Stewart for 1999, and would be replaced by Pedro Diniz.

The team eventually finished sixth in the Constructors' Championship with ten points. This was their best WCC position so far, but there was still some way to go to take on the likes of Ferrari and McLaren.

It was with this car that the last round steering wheel in Formula 1 was used. All steering wheels have been rectangular since then.

For the first few races, X-wings were used, but they were banned after the San Marino Grand Prix.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)

YearTeamEngineTyresDrivers12345678910111213141516PointsWCC
1998 Red Bull Sauber Petronas Petronas V10 G AUS BRA ARG SMR ESP MON CAN FRA GBR AUT GER HUN BEL ITA LUX JPN 106th
Flag of France.svg Jean Alesi Ret9561012Ret7RetRet10735107
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Johnny Herbert 611RetRet77Ret8Ret8Ret10RetRetRet10

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Alesi</span> French racing driver of Italian origin (born 1964)

Jean Alesi is a French professional racing driver of Italian origin. After successes in minor categories, notably winning the 1989 Formula 3000 Championship, his Formula One career included spells at Tyrrell, Benetton, Sauber, Prost, Jordan and Ferrari, where he proved very popular among the Tifosi. During his spell at Ferrari from 1991 to 1995, his aggressive driving style, combined with the use of the number 27 on his car, led some journalists and the Tifosi to compare him to Gilles Villeneuve. He won the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix, but this proved to be the only win of his Formula One career. During his time in Formula One, Alesi was particularly good in the wet and was a mercurial and passionate racer, whose emotions sometimes got the better of him.

<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">Heinz-Harald Frentzen</span> German racing driver

Heinz-Harald Frentzen is a German former racing driver. He competed in multiple disciplines including Sportscars, Formula One and DTM. He had his most success in Formula One, entering over 150 Grands Prix and winning three.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1993 Italian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1993 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 12 September 1993. It was the thirteenth race of the 1993 Formula One World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1995 British Grand Prix</span> Eighth motor race of the 1995 Formula One season

The 1995 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 16 July 1995 at Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England. It was the eighth round of the 1995 Formula One World Championship. Johnny Herbert for the Benetton team won the 61-lap race from fifth position. Jean Alesi finished second in a Ferrari, with David Coulthard third in a Williams car. The remaining points-scoring positions were filled by Olivier Panis (Ligier), Mark Blundell (McLaren) and Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Sauber). Herbert's victory was his first in Formula One, and the Benetton team's fifth of the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1995 European Grand Prix</span> Formula One motor race, held 1995

The 1995 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 1 October 1995 at the Nürburgring, Nürburg, Germany. It was the fourteenth race of the 1995 Formula One World Championship and the first to be held there since 1985. Michael Schumacher for the Benetton team won the 67-lap race starting from third position. Jean Alesi finished second in a Ferrari, with David Coulthard, who started the Grand Prix from pole position, third in a Williams car. This was also the last F1 race for three drivers: Massimiliano Papis, Gabriele Tarquini and Jean-Denis Délétraz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 Italian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1996 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 8 September 1996 at Monza. It was the fourteenth race of the 1996 Formula One World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1998 Canadian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1998 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on 7 June 1998. The 69-lap race was the seventh round of the 1998 FIA Formula One World Championship. It was won by Michael Schumacher, however the race is probably best remembered for the crash on the first lap involving Alexander Wurz, Jean Alesi and Jarno Trulli, which resulted in the race being red flagged and restarted, only for another collision to take place between Alesi and Trulli at the same corner, and the race being started once again under the safety car.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 San Marino Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2001 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Emilia-Romagna, Italy on 15 April 2001. It was the fourth race of the 2001 Formula One season. The 62-lap race was won by Ralf Schumacher driving a Williams-BMW after starting from third position. David Coulthard, who started the Grand Prix from pole position, finished second in a McLaren-Mercedes, while Rubens Barrichello finished third in a Ferrari. Schumacher's win was the first of his Formula One career and the first for Williams since Jacques Villeneuve won the 1997 Luxembourg Grand Prix. The race also represented the first win for French tyre manufacturer Michelin in Formula One since the 1984 Portuguese Grand Prix and the first race since the 1998 Italian Grand Prix not won by Bridgestone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Formula One World Championship</span> 55th season of FIA Formula One racing

The 2001 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 55th season of FIA Formula One racing. It commenced on 4 March 2001 and ended on 14 October after seventeen races. Michael Schumacher won the Drivers' title with a record margin of 58 points, after achieving nine victories and five-second places and Ferrari won the Constructors' award. The season also marked the reintroduction of several electronic driver aid systems; including traction control, launch control, and fully-automatic transmissions, with the FIA permitting their use starting at the Spanish Grand Prix. Electronic driver aids had previously been banned since 1994. Schumacher also broke the all-time Formula One Grand Prix wins record during the season, his victory at the Belgian Grand Prix marking his 52nd career win.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1998 Formula One World Championship</span> 52nd season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1998 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 52nd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1998 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1998 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a sixteen-race series that commenced on 8 March and ended on 1 November. Finland's Mika Häkkinen won his first Drivers' Championship, and McLaren-Mercedes won the Constructors' Championship, the first for the McLaren team since 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1997 Formula One World Championship</span> 51st season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1997 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 51st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It commenced on 9 March and ended on 26 October after seventeen races. The Drivers' Championship was won by Jacques Villeneuve and the Constructors' Championship was awarded to Williams-Renault.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 Formula One World Championship</span> 50th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1996 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 50th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. The championship commenced on 10 March and ended on 13 October after sixteen races. Two World Championship titles were awarded, one for Drivers and one for Constructors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 Formula One World Championship</span> 48th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1994 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 48th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1994 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1994 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a sixteen-race series that commenced on 27 March and ended on 13 November. Michael Schumacher won his first Drivers' Championship driving for Benetton, while Williams-Renault won their third consecutive Constructors' Championship, the seventh in all for Williams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1993 Formula One World Championship</span> 47th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1993 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 47th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1993 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1993 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a sixteen-race series that commenced on 14 March and ended on 7 November. Alain Prost won his fourth and final Drivers' Championship, and Williams-Renault won their second consecutive Constructors' Championship, the sixth in all for Williams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pedro Diniz</span> Brazilian racing driver (born 1970)

Pedro Paulo Falleiros dos Santos Diniz is a Brazilian businessman and former racing driver. Diniz began karting at the age of eighteen and achieved minor success, before progressing to car racing in the Brazilian Formula Ford Championship and the British Formula 3 Championship. He first drove in Formula One with Forti for the 1995 season. The following year he switched to Ligier and moved to Arrows for 1997. In 1998, he finished 14th in the Drivers' Championship, and subsequently moved to Sauber for 1999. He left Sauber after the 2000 season and bought a share in the Prost team, which folded a year later.

Sauber Motorsport AG 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. After operating it under their own name from 1993 until 2018, Sauber Motorsport AG renamed their Formula One racing team to Alfa Romeo Racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan EJ11</span>

The Jordan EJ11 was the car with which the Jordan team competed in the 2001 Formula One season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sauber C18</span> Formula One racing car

The Sauber C18 was the car with which the Sauber team competed in the 1999 Formula One World Championship. It was driven by Frenchman Jean Alesi, in his second year with the team, and Brazilian Pedro Diniz, who joined from Arrows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benetton B197</span>

The Benetton B197 is a Formula One racing car with which the Benetton team competed in the 1997 Formula One World Championship. There it was driven by Frenchman Jean Alesi and Austrian Gerhard Berger, who were both in their second season with the team. However, Berger was forced to sit out three races in the middle of the season due to sinus problems, and compatriot Alexander Wurz made his F1 début by deputising for him, starting at the Canadian Grand Prix.

References