Added to the Annex today:
Sauder C30-1 by
David Freeman, on Flickr
Sauber C30-2 by
David Freeman, on Flickr
Sauber C30-3 by
David Freeman, on Flickr
Sergio Perez car
SAUBER C30
The Sauber C30 is a Formula One racing car developed by Sauber Motorsports for use in the 2011 Formula One season. As with the Sauber C29 the car is powered by a Ferrari engine, but with added capability to house Ferrari's customer KERS system. The chassis was designed by James Key, Christoph Zimmermann, Pierre Waché and Seamus Mullarkey with the car being powered with a customer Ferrari engine. After running a near-blank livery in 2010, the team has acquired several sponsors including Jose Cuervo, and has had an investment from Telmex owner Carlos Slim. Some 2010 sponsors, including Mad Croc Energy, have returned. The car was driven by Kamui Kobayashi and Mexican newcomer Sergio Pérez.
At the first race in Melbourne, both Pérez and Kobayashi scored points, finishing in 7th and 8th place respectively, scoring a total of 10 points. However, following the discovery of a non-regulation rear wing, both cars were disqualified and their points were redistributed.
Unlike the 2010 C29 the C30 was reliable from the start of the season and developments came at a respectable rate, keeping it easily within the top 10. Kobayashi finished in the top 10 in the first seven races, and amassed 25 points - including a fifth at Monaco, and a seventh in Canada after running in second at the restart. Sergio Pérez was forced to retire in Malaysia when a piece of a Toro Rosso flew off and sliced his car. In the Spanish Grand Prix, Pérez scored his first points, with ninth, and in the next race, he crashed in Q3 in Monaco, injuring him badly enough so that he had to miss the Monaco and subsequent Canadian Grand Prix where former Sauber driver Pedro de la Rosa took his seat and finished twelfth.
The next ten races were not so successful for Kobayashi only having one points finish - in Germany. Pérez scored his best race result, in Britain, finishing seventh; before he was robbed of an equal result in Monza where both cars retired with gearbox failures. In total, they accumulated the same number of points as the previous season's Sauber C29.
