Sauber to Also Copy Red Bull-Style Exhaust

Sauber F1 Team is the last team to debut a Red Bull-like exhaust layout in Formula 1, although it won't happen anytime soon. The team's technical director James Key hinted that the new exhaust blown diffuser design might be implemented on the Sauber C30 sometime in the Spanish Grand Prix, scheduled in mid-to-late May on Circuit de Catalunya.

The Swiss outfit began the season in style, with both drivers finishing inside the Top 10 in Australia, only to see those points stripped by the FIA following a technical infringement regarding the uppermost side of the cars' front wings.

Even so, the officials of the Hinwil based organization admitted the level of performance showed by the C30 in Melbourne was more than encouraging, and the next step in the squad's development programme for the ongoing season would take place in May.

“We are looking at alternatives, and we are looking to introduce something once we are satisfied that it works, because they can quite sensitive,” said Key, according to Autosport. “If you go wrong then you can be in trouble. With the system we have got now it is fine and quite robust, but it is not as powerful as some of the other systems you see around the pit lane.”

“We tried some of the solutions you can see on other cars. We could get them to work but we had a deficit of total downforce. Since then, there have been some breakthroughs so we will look at it again.”

So far, several teams have copied or developed an exhaust system similar to the one disclosed by Red Bull at car launch, including Ferrari, Williams, Mercedes and McLaren.