Sauber Admit to Aerodynamic Problems

Peter Sauber has said that his team are struggling with an aerodynamic problem on this year's car and admitted efforts to solve it could blow his hopes of a fifth-place Championship finish this season.

"At the moment we have large difficulties with the aerodynamics," said Sauber. "That is the most important thing on a Formula One car and we will not be able to get a grasp of it immediately.

"At the moment the results from the wind tunnel cannot be confirmed on the track but that is not, in my view, the error of our aerodynamics specialists. We assume that it is a problem with the wind tunnel in Emmen."

The Swiss outfit, who finished fourth two years ago, currently lie sixth in the Championship on eight points. Last week the team carried out a two-day test at the Monza circuit, where they concentrated on getting to grips with the car's aerodynamics.

Sauber will introduce a new state-of-the-art wind tunnel at the end of the year but the team chief is concerned that the development of the current car will be hampered by efforts to solve the wind tunnel problem.

"Now the engineers must develop the car further whilst at the same time try to find the error," Sauber told Sonntags Zeitung. "That is not a simple task during the season and it could hold us back."