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Sauber: Making a successful budget F1 car

It's no secret that Sauber isn't the biggest spending outfit on the F1 grid. Chief designer Matt Morris tells Edd Straw how you create a cost-effective grand prix car

Sauber started its life in Formula 1 as a team of modest resources that was somehow capable of running a remarkable fourth and fifth at the end of the opening lap of its first race at Kyalami in 1993. This will be its 20th season in grand prix racing and with the heady days of BMW ownership firmly in the past, it is once more a small team. And it's one with realistic aspirations of 'overachieving'.

Inevitably, the odds are stacked against it. Technical director James Key tendered his resignation around a week before the car had its first run, throwing a curve ball into the already high-pressure mix of the battle to get the new C31 ready for this week's Jerez test. In terms of size, there are half-a-dozen outfits that clearly outdo Sauber, so improving on seventh in last year's Constructors' Championship would be a serious achievement.

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