Sauber Delighted with Heidfeld and Massa

Peter Sauber has praised both his drivers Nick Heidfeld and Felipe Massa, who will be in charge of getting the best out of the new C21 which was unveiled today in Switzerland.

"Nick has displayed consistent high performance," said Sauber. "In his third season in Formula One he will be able to stay in the first third of the ranking. Apart from his undeniable speed, his strengths include constructive contributions to the development of the car and his always fruitful co-operation with the entire team."

Heidfeld joined the Hinwill-based squad last season after a disastrous debut year with Prost in 2000, and the German impressed at the wheel of the Ferrari-powered C20, not only finishing in a brilliant eighth place in the drivers' standings, but also scoring his first podium in Brazil.

Heidfeld will be partnered this year by Brazilian Massa, who after clinching the European F3000 title in 2001, will make his Formula One debut this year, filling the place of Finn Kimi Raikkonen, who moved to McLaren. Sauber said the young driver immediately impressed him.

Massa hails from the same city, Sao Paolo, as Ayrton Senna who died in a crash at Imola in 1994. Sauber have provided Massa with masseur Joseph Lieberer who was a personal aide to Senna. His services have been needed after testing as the sheer acceleration power of the engine prompts neckaches.

"Felipe immediately convinced us during his test drives in September and October, 2001 in Mugello," Sauber added. "It is a big step up from the Euro 3000 series to Formula One, but not to the extent that a talented driver could not manage it successfully. Last autumn, Massa showed that he is well capable of handling 800 bhp."