Kick Sauber going the Red Bull way with pull-rod front suspension for F1 2024
Kick Sauber has switched to pioneer Red Bull's once-unique pull-rod front suspension concept. Early signs back their data-driven decision for a quicker layout.
Sauber raised eyebrows up and down the F1 pit lane by opting to switch to a Red Bull-style pull-rod front suspension layout for its 2024 challenger, the C44.
This surprise design decision is explored in detail through technical analysis and insider perspective from Sauber technical director James Key.
Adopting the Pull-Rod trendsetter
Red Bull pioneered the concept of using pull-rod suspension at the front of an F1 car, with McLarenthe concept following suit more recently.
Sauber has now broken from its traditional push-rod setup to join this exclusive club.
"Despite all the pain of trying to do it, it's definitely a quicker car," Key affirmed. "It's a conclusion we drew at McLaren early on, and obviously Red Bull have always had it."
Sauber's own wind tunnel and CFD results overwhelmingly supported making the switch.
Yet Key admitted surprise that more teams did not similarly transition for 2023.
Validation in early running
Initial testing of the new pull-rod layout on Sauber's C44 has proven "encouraging" per Key.
It is already demonstrating improvements in through-corner efficiency and balance unachievable last season.
"It does exactly what it should do," he reported. "What's been really nice with this car is that things that come out of the simulator, things that come out of a logical process of investigating on a particular mechanical side, seem to correlate very well."
Hunting further refinements
Nonetheless, Key identified room for progress: "There's still definitely work to do, and in every respect there is still performance to be found."
The team must still optimize and squeeze more from its new suspension concept. But the early signs and simulator correlation have Key optimistic about the car's development path.
A more complete package
Beyond the headline pull-rod change, Key praised the well-rounded improvements embodied in the C44:
"It's a more complete car than last year's, I think. Through-corner efficiency is better, through-corner balance is better, and we've got some mechanical tools now which improve that as well."
With testing leaving Key encouraged but still searching for lap time, definitive judgment on Sauber's unconventional suspension gamble will have to wait until lights out in Bahrain.
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