The (BMW) Sauber team have launched their new C29 car for the new season at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia. Drivers Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi unveiled an almost entirely sponsorless car in a naff ceremony this afternoon.
The team, which are set to remain officially as "BMW Sauber" for 2010 despite the withdrawal of the German manufacturer over the winter, returns to life as a privateer in 2010 after Peter Sauber bought back his team from BMW.
The C29 will be Ferrari-powered next season, and driven by former Toyota man Kobayashi and former McLaren tester de la Rosa.
The design of the car seems to be an evolution of the BMW F1.09 car, which so spectacularly succeed in being a lacklustre failure last year. The sharp high-nose design remains at the front, while the car also boasts a garish "shark fin" wing on the airbox.
Speaking at Valencia today, team owner Peter Sauber said that the winter had been difficult for the team, following the withdrawal of BMW, but that the car development had been unaffected.
"The last few months have been very intense for us," Sauber muttered intensely, "First we had to battle to secure the survival of the team and then we focused on putting a strong set-up in place for the future.
"The technical preparation of the 2010 car has continued uninterrupted and according to plan since the spring of 2009, despite all the turmoil."
He added that the driver pairing at the team for 2010 were, far from being the very definition of "underwhelming", were in fact a good mix of talents that Sauber saw as a perfect combination of youth and experience for the coming season.
"We have a long tradition of bringing together an up-and-coming youngster and an experienced campaigner as a driver combination – and it’s an approach that has brought us a lot of success," Sauber exagerrated.
"Pedro has been working at the highest level technically for many years and for a top team, and we can benefit as a team from this experience. Young Kamui also has a lot to offer us, and last year he impressed me particularly in Abu Dhabi."
Sauber also confirmed that the team's name is set to remain as BMW Sauber for the start of the season. The team are believed to be waiting until a title sponsor has been signed before they request a name change from the FIA.
"It is not planned before the start of the season," Sauber said at the launch, "We entered the 2010 season as BMW Sauber and this is the name."
Meanwhile, De la Rosa beamed that he felt like a "proper racing driver" again, after so many years working as a test driver.
"At last I can feel like a proper racing driver again," he smiled, "I’ve really missed the competition out on the track. At the same time, though, I’ve learned a lot technically and on the systems side, and now I want to bring that knowledge to the team."
Meanwhile Kobayashi added that he was itching to start his first full season of Formula One competition after making two appearances for Toyota at the end of last season.
"I’m very proud that Peter Sauber has shown so much faith in me and I’m determined not to disappoint him. My aim is that he will end up being proud of me as well." the Japanese driver smiled.
On the subject of the car, Sauber technical chief Willy Rampf explained that the new car, unencumbered by the extra weight of sponsorship stickers, was designed to capitalise on the improvements in performance that the team managed to achieve in the second half of 2009.
"The development of the BMW Sauber C29 has seen the team build on the experience gained last year and the improvement in performance over the final third of the season," Rampf rambled, "However, the new regulations banning refuelling during the race and stipulating a reduced width for the front tyres have required significant changes to the car’s design."
The car is set for it's on-track debut tomorrow when pre-season testing officially gets underway at the Valencia track.
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