Sauber were ‘brave’ with ‘aggressive’ 2024 Stake F1 Team car decision for James Key

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James Key claims Sauber were ‘brave’ by pursuing an ‘aggressive’ option for the first car with the name Stake F1 Team in 2024 following the launch of their C44 challenger.

The Hinwil, Switzerland-based outfit took the cover of the C44 that Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will drive this Monday. It is the first machine to run under the Stake F1 Team banner after Alfa Romeo ended its title sponsorship of Sauber ahead of the squad turning into Audi.

Sauber will be Audi’s works F1 entry from 2026 after the German automotive giants secured a stake in the team during January 2023. Alfa Romeo had controlled the naming rights of the outfit since the 2019 Formula 1 season. But it agreed to part early following Audi’s purchase.

Sauber change their front suspension layout after James Key’s arrival

The C44 is also Sauber’s first car that technical director Key had a true say in the design of. Key moved to Hinwil last September after leaving McLaren in March 2023 amid the Woking squad’s poor start to the year. He joined the Papaya team after the start of the 2019 season.

Key was also among the McLaren decision-makers who chose front pull-rod suspension for the start of F1’s current technical regulations in 2022. Red Bull also favoured a pull-rod set-up. But Sauber’s cars with the Alfa Romeo name all run push-rod suspension through 2023.

James Key claims Sauber were ‘brave’ to be ‘aggressive’ with the C44

So, now that Key is in Hinwil, it is no surprise that Sauber have adopted pull-rod suspension for the first Stake F1 Team car, the C44. Key has long been a fan of the set-up as it can make increasing the rising rate effect on the front suspension easier. But Sauber had to be ‘brave’.

“The pull-rod is the first thing that’s aggressive because it’s brave to do that,” Key explained to PlanetF1. “I think, particularly for a team of our size, it’s not an easy project. But they’ve done a fantastic job with it.

“I think it’s more the refinement you can’t see under the floor. But that is several steps beyond where we were last year and that’s another tough area where there’s huge potential if you can get the little nuances right. The team worked very hard at that.

“But the bodywork, I think is the thing you’ll notice most. The sidepods are very three-dimensional and very, sort of, organic. There’s this interaction between the floor and the bodywork, which doesn’t exist intuitively when you look at a car.”

What are the benefits of pull-rod suspension for a Formula 1 car?

Key sought to see Sauber switch from push to pull-rod for the first Stake F1 Team car as the suspension set-up with a high rising rate allows for softer springs in slower-speed corners. It also has a higher ride height, which is more stable at high speed when the ride height drops.

Together, the pull-rod suspension layout gives drivers – Bottas and Zhou in Sauber’s case – more confidence under braking. This might be key for Stake F1 Team in 2024 as Alfa Romeo split from Sauber after the squad finished 2023 ninth in the team’s standings with 16 points.