Sauber C23 Petronas

For the concept design of the new SAUBER PETRONAS C23 Technical Director Willy Rampf chose the pragmatic approach of closely following the example set by the concept of the best car in the field: "After the changes to the rear of the C22 during the 2003 season had proved to be the first successful step in this direction, we decided to continue this approach with the C23."

Rampf added that, "The 2003 season soon made us realise where our weakness was. Owing to the fact that our new wind tunnel will not be operational until after the roll-out of the C23, we had to find another way of designing a good car with optimum prerequisites for further development during the course of the season. This approach made it possible for us to reach our stated objective."

Specifications

Chassis: Carbon fibre monocoque
Engine: PETRONAS 04A ( A rebadged Ferrari engine, spec2004 to last a complete race weekend)
Suspension: Upper and lower wishbones (front and rear), inboard springs and dampers, actuated by pushrods (Sachs Race Engineering)
Brakes: Six piston calipers (front and rear), carbon pads and discs (Brembo)
Transmission: Longitudinally mounted, seven-speed gearbox (Ferrari), carbon clutch (AP)
Chassis Electronics: Magneti Marelli
Tyres: Bridgestone, 265/55R13 front, 325/45R13 rear
Wheels: OZ, 12J-13 front, 13.7J-13 rear
Dimensions:

• Length: 4600 mm
• Width: 1800 mm
• Height: 1000 mm
• Front track: 1470 mm
• Rear track: 1410 mm
• Wheelbase: 3120 mm
• Weight: 600 kg (driveable car including driver, tank empty)