Formula 1

The new C33 features a much gentler slope in the nose than many of its rivals.

Similar to the McLaren that was launched earlier in the week, the 2014 Sauber features a sharp nose where others have opted for flat or even two-pronged.

The new car’s front wing is also noteable smaller due to change in the rules while the team have adopted a twin pylon mounting for the rear.

Explaining the new look, Sauber’s chief designer Eric Gandelin said: “The regulation changes in 2014 are the biggest ever seen in Formula One. They impact on all aspects of the car’s design,” he said.

“The most noticeable change on the chassis and safety side concerns the nose structure where a maximum height for the tip of the nose is now set by the rules. This is to reduce the likelihood of cars launching in the air in case of a front to rear impact. This also reduces the risk of a driver sustaining head injuries, which could happen with the previous higher nose design.

“These changes are combined with a new side impact structure as well, for which the design is now regulated. This means the dimension of the tube and the laminate is now set and the same for all teams. And these tubes are overall much bigger and result in bulkier side pods, especially compared to the very slim side pods, we had on the C32.”

The length of the chassis is also different to last year due to the new rules governing the engine size, a 1.6-litre turbocharged V6, and the new energy recovery system.

“On the engine side the old 2.4 litre naturally aspirated V8 is being replaced by a 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 engine. This is coupled to a much more complex energy recovery system with bigger batteries and now two electric motors,” he added. “Energy is being recovered from both, braking and heat.

“The power generated by the energy recovery system will increase from 60 kilowatts in the past few years to 120 kilowatts with the boost available for 33 seconds. The fuel consumption is being reduced significantly.

“We are now limited to 100 kilograms of fuel from green light to chequered flag. This has resulted in much smaller fuel cells, which impacts the chassis length. On the braking side we have an all-new brake-by-wire system at the rear.”