Sauber C37, 2018

Sauber’s 2018 F1 car backed by Alfa Romeo revealed

2018 F1 season

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Alfa Romeo has revealed Sauber’s new car for the 2018 F1 season.

The Fiat Chrysler Automobiles brand has joined the team as a technical and commercial partner for this year. The Sauber C37 will use a current-specification power unit from Alfa Romeo’s sister brand Ferrari.

“The car philosophy is much different to that of the C36,” said technical director Joerg Zander. “The aerodynamic concept has changed significantly, and the C37 has several new features in comparison to its predecessor.”

“We are positive that the new concept offers us more opportunities and will help us to make improvements during the course of the season. The 2018 Ferrari engine will also give us a boost in terms of our performance. We hope that we will make progress with the C37 and that we are more competitive compared to 2017.”

Sauber announced a series of new sponsors in the run-up to the launch including Richard Mille, Carrera, Kappa and Claro.

The team’s drivers for 2018 are newcomer Charles Leclerc and last year’s driver Marcus Ericsson.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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96 comments on “Sauber’s 2018 F1 car backed by Alfa Romeo revealed”

  1. Very unimaginative livery. Long gone are the days are cool liveries!

    1. Yes exactly one day!
      After the red bull’s very very cool livery this is really bad.
      How they couldn’t get this better is above me.

      1. @solidg Red Bull’s livery is not the real livery – it was a camo livery to disguise the car. It’s interesting that you liked it as I nearly fainted when I saw it and was wondering how Red Bull could make a livery where the tyres were the real stars of the design:-)

        After recovering from the shock (Christian was hospitalized after seeing the car for the 1st time) and being informed that Red Bull was just messing with us, I was able to see the rear wing which is easily the best wing of all time in F1 with the Aston Martin logo. The car also sports a mid-wing like a plane under the mirrors.

        1. i really like the red bull test livery.

    2. It reminds me of the “You” unsponsored HRT of years ago.

    3. @ecwdanselby
      It may be unimaginative, but you can’t say it isn’t evocative. Check out those high resolution images, particularly of the rear of the car. Doesn’t the distinctive Alfa Romeo font at the back of the scarlet rear wing combined with those mighty slick tyres remind you of the Alfa Romeo-powered Brabhams of the late 1970s? And kudos to Sauber and Keith for giving us such detailed images – I mean you get to see almost all the aerodynamic elements. It’s full of details – the aero appendage on the halo, the front sidepod elements, the duct on the engine cover fin, the unique airbox vents. I didn’t enjoy the pictures of the other F1 cars launched till now as much watching this Alfa Romeo Sauber. There are so many pictures here showing the car in various angles – the rear and the rear three-quarters view images would easily make for giant posters for the walls of my room. This is what F1 passion is all about, and the livery does evoke memories of the Alfa Romeos of the late 70s and early 80s. I just hope it stuns on the track too and more teams get to see that evocative rear though I don’t want McLaren to be among those teams!

  2. They’re half an hour early. Also, that is a very, very disappointing livery. Good to see an influx of (Italian) sponsors though. Hope with the funding they can be competitive. That livery though…

    1. Richard Mille – Swiss
      Carrea – Austrian based in Italy
      Claro – Brazilian.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      1. Claro it’s a mexican company owned by Carlos Slim although the trademark Claro itself was first introduced in the Brazliain market back in 2003.

      2. Wow 2 years in Mexico and I thought Claro was Mexican, yes the founder is, but seems the HQ is in Brazil, weird.

    2. (Italian) sponsors

      Makes you wonder why stick with Ericsson.

    3. Claro is mexican, from Carlos Slim group.

  3. At least it’s more white..

    1. I guess that their attempt to get into the midfield is mainly to trick people that from the front profile, its a Williams

  4. Sauber’s Halo need a colour change IMO.

  5. Compared to last season this will be a less colourful, more monochromatic field. Which is a real shame.

    1. less colourful, more monochromatic

      Not sure how Red and White is any more ‘monochromatic’ than Blue and White.
      It can’t be golden 25 years logo of last year ;)

  6. Am I the only one that thinks we need the halo to massively stand out, livery wise? Rather than disguising it, which looks incredibly awkward, i’d rather do something opposite.

    I proposed an idea to maybe use the driver’s helmet livery on the halo instead.

  7. And we all thought that it wouldn’t look like the car they wheeled out when they launched the Alfa deal…

    1. At a closer look the car looks really good. The detail around the sidepods and roll hop are incredible, as is the detail round the mounting of the top front wishbone. They seem to be missing the rear brake wing stacks in those images, so maybe they have a few more tricks up their sleeves…

      Sauber really should be commended for this. With a driver of Leclerc’s calibre they may be able to pull off a few surprises….

  8. Looks like the 2008 Force India car, but with a bit more white around the front of the car.

  9. What a good looking beast. Deciding for the best looking car this year will be hard.

    1. You are joking, right?

    2. Oh my. This is an ugly monster!

  10. Wow that is a completely new car compared to last year

    I like the paint job if I’m honest

    But they came out with the pictures a little bit too soon, didn’t they?

    1. I like the livery too. I’m pleased to see the new owners have managed to secure better financial support, and hopefully this produces good results this year.

    2. Agreed. It looks simple and elegant, which is actually offbeat from most of the others and unique in its own way.

  11. I think Leclerc will beat Stroll and Sirotkin in 2018, even though the Williams will most likely be the faster car.

    1. I can see the starting grid at Melbourne is going to be very interesting.

    2. I think Leclerc will beat Stroll and Sirotkin in 2018, even though the Williams will most likely be the faster car.

      And you say that based on this article ;)

  12. Predictable livery – Alfa Romeo on the engine cover because of the link to Ferrari but need to leave room for sponsors elsewhere hence the vast expanses of white.

    At first glance there’s a lot of aero detail – notably around the airbox and Halo fairing. Looking forward to getting a proper look at the high-quality pictures when they arrive. The launch is in five minutes…

    1. @keithcollantine

      need to leave room for sponsors elsewhere hence the vast expanses of white

      At least they’re optimistic then! ;-)

    2. @keithcollantine where can we see the launch?

    3. That slot is going to make quite the tyre marble catcher.

      I’m guessing more teams will reveal what they’re doing with the halo in terms of aero once testing starts.

    4. Keith,
      What is the link to Ferrari that you are referring? Alfa is owned by FCA, Ferrari is independent. There is no link between the two as the shareholder bases are independent. If Marchionne treats it otherwise then he is violating his fiduciary duties as would the respective Boards of Directors.

      1. While technically correct, isn’t it fair to say Alfa Romeo and Ferrari have a rich history together. And here they sit, Sauber with the current Ferrari pu in back, with Alfa Romeo emblazoned on the side. Marchionne is the CEO of FCA. I would suggest there is a strong link…just not from a stock market standpoint. I doubt Marchionne will treat it as otherwise. To suggest there is no link is to take things to a legal technical point that isn’t really relevant unless there is somehow some violation, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. There seems, judging by the reality for Sauber this year, that everyone has agreed that Sauber would have a Ferrari pu, badged as Alfa Romeo, ala a Renault being called a Tag Heuer, no?

        1. Look, Marchionne is CEO of both Ferrari and FCA, which is a problem on its face given that these companies have no cross shareholdings. It is quite clear what are the benefits to Ferrari of FCA supporting Sauber as a Ferrari junior team. It is not at all clear what are the benefits to FCA. Sell more Jeeps? Dodge Rams? Sell more Fiats? I don’t think so. Oh, but it’s Alfa Romeo? Alfa Romeo is not profitable, and it’s not Alfa Romeo funds that are going to Sauber – Alfa has has negative free cash flow – it’s FCA funds. This sponsorship is using FCA funds to benefit Ferrari.

          1. They are also both part owned by Exor.

          2. I won’t profess to know the implications of this. You are more knowledged on the topic and seem suspicious. I can only take this far enough to claim that the fact that Ferrari has a current pu in the 2018 Sauber, with Alfa Romeo badging, likely means i’s have been dotted and t’s have been crossed and there is nothing nefarious going on that shareholders need be concerned about. Won’t FCA shareholders be excited to see Alfa Romeo on an F1 car? Won’t they all have a sentimental attachment to Ferrari, who is powering the car, as well? Could this be a move to bolster (negative) Alfa Romeo by badging the Sauber as such? You (seemingly sarcastically) cite “sell more Jeeps? Dodge Rams? Fiats? I don’t think so” yet don’t mention ‘sell more Alfa Romeos.’ If FCA and Ferrari are independent, what is the harm to FCA sponsoring an F1 team, especially one for whom they are well familiar with their engine supplier? It may not be clear to you the benefits to FCA, but I would suggest FCA sees the benefits and perhaps take reassurance from CEO Marchionne overseeing it.

          3. Lee1,
            Yes, but that is irrelevant. Joe Blow might also own shares of both FCA and Ferrari, but again it’s not relevant. The two companies are independent public companies with no cross shareholdings and the fiduciary duty of the board and management is to run the company for the benefit of all shareholders, not for the benefit of Exor or Joe Blow.
            Marchionne has been brilliant for FCA shareholders so nobody is likely to complain, but it is not right to use FCA funds for the benefit of Ferrari.

          4. This is where I’m confused. You’re saying it’s not right to use FCA funds for the benefit of Ferrari, and I can’t see where Marchionne is doing anything behind anybody’s back. Isn’t FCA a willing participant in the partial sponsorship of Sauber via the Alfa Romeo brand? What’s ‘not right’ if nobody is doing anything wrong and everyone is on board, eyes wide open, willing to provide some funding in return for global marketing impact?

  13. hopefully, Marcus can atleast score some points in it

  14. Force India style nostrils.. although slightly smaller

    1. two air intakes on the sidepods as well, don’t remember seeing nothing like that in recent F1 cars and a quite remarkable carbon fibre work on the air intakes of the roll hoop

      A lot of details on that sauber, I’m impressed

      Surprised that they have shown the steering wheel so clearly, I always assumed there is info in their that they would like to hide. Maybe is last year’s?

    1. Exactly what I was hoping for! Another huge disappointment.

    2. They probably aren’t paying enough to justify that much real estate on the car…

  15. I wish they’d kept the livery color scheme of the last three seasons, but this one looks cool as well.

    1. But they changed livery between 2016 and 2017. In 2016, they were blue-yellow along the style of Banco do Brasil (Felipe Nasr’s sponsor) but since they left for 2017 they chose a dark blue/gold livery.

  16. Hmmm, nothing special about the livery. I guess it’s not more red on the car not to interfere with Ferrari paint scheme. Also, maybe with a simple and quite empty paint scheme they wanted to underline and promote the Alfa Romeo as a brand. Interesting air box tho. Wonder if it’ll become the norm in the following years.

  17. Now the disappointment of the livery is done, and there are more pictures, I am loving the sidepods – two inlets per side? Split by a winglet of sorts? Ingenious, interesting.

    1. the best thing so far around those sidepods, is that you can see some gaps in the mounts of the winglets and the halo, that is typical Alfa Romeo building quality. Love those guys

      1. Hahahaha, excellent

  18. Love the low down front on picture.

  19. Alfa Romeo’s racing colour has always been white not red, they were only red when they represented Italy which is the national racing colour.

    1. Italys national racing colour is Blue not red!

      1. Of course not. Rosso Corsa, red, with white numbers. That is Italy. The French are blue, so are some American cars and Sweden.

    2. When have they used white?

  20. It’s really great to see an original marque back on the grid. That’s two. Maserati next? That’d be good. The new Saubers look better than last year’s cars. But then they do have the best car logo goin’ around. Let’s hope they are more competitive. I’m really looking forward to the season opener. Come on Melbourne!

  21. It is absolutely brilliant to see the Alfa Romeo brand prominently back in F1. Could the livery have been better? Yes it could. But then again, the team had already given a glimpse of the expected livery earlier. There are small changes throughout the car, as per expectations given the financial position of the team. There are a few sponsors too. A current engine would ensure that the power is available throughout the year. They also have a fast rookie driver this time. All the indications are that the team is poised to improve in 2018. Let’s hope that is the case.

  22. Terrible livery, which is a shame as the shade of red is beautiful.

    I like that they went different direction in the sidepods, let’s see how it will perform on the track

  23. Wow, amazing pictures. Better than the half-baked efforts shown by other teams. This is how you do a proper reveal, not some pics rendered on a potato.

  24. Suprised everyone here is fixed just on the livery. I think Sauber has got a seriously different approach to it’s side pods, sidewinglets, airbox and even their halo has a little slit on it.

    1. @todfod +1. I’m intrigued by all the things you just mentioned.

    2. @todfod I agree 100%, the car might as well be all brown for all I care, I like their engineering approach and I hope it works well combined with this year’s spec. engine and Leclerc’s skill to get Sauber up in the construction championship points this season. The intakes on the “shark fin” are quite interesting. I’m also curious to see if Mercedes keep their their “chimney stack” air opening on the top of the engine cover this year.

  25. Quite a different car from last year`s one! They are ready for rise, I guess.
    As for the livery – it could have been way better, but it is better than the Haas`s dull livery. :)

  26. A aero element over the halo. Wonderful.

  27. Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
    20th February 2018, 12:39

    So the third white car in a row (excluding RB test livery). I think that sums up the excitement levels of F1 for the new season.

  28. At first look I thought more aero detail is good, a slicker looking car but that halo sticks out more than the others (are they thinking back of field need to resist TWO London Buses??)

    Livery is ok- the red on the back is great, front white not so much, at least its different.

    I do find it funny like some have said that we have very little changes in regs yet people think we will have news cars- most will be an evolution car but Red Bull seem to have had the most changes in design so far (I wont be like everyone else and say they should keep this livery- but gee they should :)

    1. To be fair Red Bull look the most changes because they had no appendages on their car and went backwards the first part of the season till they sorted out their correlation with the wind tunnel! Now all the cars look remarkably similar. More like the Ferrari than anything else!

  29. What the hell, so many new and interesting ideas on this car and all anyone can talk about is the livery!?

    No mention of: split side pods, different curvature on outer part of front wing, inlets on the shark fin, among others…

    Quite a radical departure from last years car!

    1. Ah, I see @todfod at least noticed some things

    2. And they are running a new front suspension, having gone with the same upper pivot design used by Mercedes and Toro Rosso last year…

  30. I like the livery, the car will be easy to identify during a race.

  31. I think the car looks great. Red Bull livery while interesting is not going to stick around which is a shame but I like Red Bull’s usual liveries. Wish people were more imaginative in the paddock with regards to color schemes. Lots of room for improvement if you ask me.

    Crazy how narrow the side pods are and those inlets!

    And god the halo is awful.

  32. As pointed out, the red is beautiful, if not gorgeous. In my opinion the view from the rear is the most compelling as it’s all red. Obviously, Sauber could not paint the whole car red as Ferrari has exclusivity on that livery in F1 but I think they could have carried the color to the nose.

  33. The definition of anticlimax.

  34. I understand its introduction on safety grounds, and also understand that I am not the one sitting in the car, but I hate the halo. It looks like a clumsy afterthought.

  35. Where is the Martini sponsorship?
    (that’s seriously what I was looking for)

    I quite like it; but then I’ve always had a weak spot for Alfa Romeo (my first real car)

  36. Looking at the photos I was sure the comments section would be full of praise..

    Classic livery, tastely executed, several innovative aero designs, split airboxes, on sidepods and into engine, first halo innovation, new take on Ferrari sidepod wing solution, Complex front wing, strange piping arrangement at the rear with nice chrome finish to complement classic livery, additional air intake on the stubfin..

    But most seem unexcited. when that happens you think you’ve missed something.. but no I still think it’s a beauty.. can’t wait to see it on the track and hope it’s a real success story with Leclerc wringing every last drop out of it.

    1. You didn’t miss anything, I expected the same as you but the first 40 comments were about the livery. I was pretty sure I typed in racefans.net but I must have fat-fingered it and put in liveryfans.net

      1. @pastaman
        I think you’re looking for engineeringfans.net

        1. @george Yes, because the majority of employees on an F1 team are livery designers. Oh wait…

  37. I actually think that’s a really attractive livery, not sure why so many people seem negative about it. It’s better by miles than what they’ve had past couple of years. Then again I don’t understand why some people liked McLaren’s livery and I thought it was truly one of the worst I had ever seen in F1, so it’s all in the eye of the beholder I guess.

  38. I hope Sauber have a much better year with this new car. A lot of new ideas and a decent livery.

  39. The aero around the cockpit and sidepods of these new cars is getting a bit ridiculous. Wings and slots eveywhere makes for an ugly car.

  40. I guess it’s the first F1 car revealed thus far having a halo with an aerodynamic appendage.

  41. Califormula1fan
    20th February 2018, 23:35

    What can you do? Somebody on the Italian side probably demanded “Rosso Corsa”, where can you go with Ferrari on the grid? Beats the sponsorless blue from last year.

  42. I didnt look through the comments to see if anyone said this but I Dont know how many people noticed this but im pretty sure and from what i have been reading that the roll hop where the air box norm is on this car is just for cooling and the turbo intake is the opening above the side pod inlet. This is very old school and how they would run the cars if they had open roll hopes. This is something no one has tried in a long time if that is what it is. Maybe they have hit onto an idea other will adopted next year if it works out. It saves them from having to worry about the Halo disrupting the air going into the roll hop

    1. Roll hoops* stupid phone it’s wrong in a few places

  43. The car looks great. Feels fast and slick. The livery is a trademark of Alfa Romeo.
    Alfa Romeo’s main colours.
    I don’t know what people where smoking when they didn’t like the livery.
    Look closer.

  44. The rear view’s great, a fabulous retro touch with the script on the rear wing (it reminds me how Alfas used to have that on the wiper arms, just because it looked good)
    I think a few more drivers will get to see it this year from their Williams and Toro Rossos.

  45. What a beaut!

  46. And they are running a new front suspension, having gone with the same upper pivot design used by Mercedes and Toro Rosso last year…

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