How Kick Sauber C44 is closer to the Red Bull design philosophy than ever before
How Kick Sauber C44 is closer to the Red Bull design philosophy than ever before
The new Kick Sauber C44 is closer to the Red Bull design philosophy than ever before, with its front suspension and RB19-style radiator intakes with large cutouts and raised side pillars.
The car is still powered by Ferrari and has a Ferrari gearbox built into the Sauber itself. The rest of the car was built in-house, a project that began under former technical director Ian Monchaux before he was replaced by James Key last August. Explanation: What is the difference between rod and push rod suspension?
The switch to front suspension is in line with what Red Bull and McLaren have done over the past two seasons and is expected to be a trend for new cars this year (but not Ferrari and Haas). The rear suspension rocker is controlled by the push rod.
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James Key was “pleased with the numbers” when the new Kick Sauber C44 was launched.
The front suspension provides tight control over the car’s aerodynamic platform, making it easy to add numerous anti-diving features to the geometry. Looking at the very high mounting points of the upper control arms up front and how low they are on the rear, it’s clear that there is a lot of anti-diving functionality in this geometry. In this way, the car’s natural tendency to dive under braking is significantly reduced, resulting in more even aerodynamic behavior and a lower rear ride height, improving ground impact.
First look: Kick Sauber unveils impressive image of more changes for new car for 2024.
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In the case of the Red Bull-style radiator intakes, the severe downward slope of the sides should ensure that the airflow from the upper side sections does not impede the airflow below the radiator intakes which face down towards the edge of the floor. Due to increased rolling load testing regulations (which began with Zhou Guanyu’s rollover at the 2022 British Grand Prix), Sauber replaced the previous blade design with a traditional ‘A’ shape.
The front wing shown on the car appears to be identical to the one from late 2023, but it may not be the final version. Sauber also ensured that the detailed geometry of the floor edges was not visible.
