The Sauber C23 was the car with which the Sauber team competed in the 2004 Formula One World Championship.
The car was driven by Italian Giancarlo Fisichella, who joined the team from Jordan, and Brazilian Felipe Massa, who had driven for Sauber in 2002 and returned after spending 2003 testing for Ferrari. Swiss Neel Jani was the team's test driver.
Overview The car was a direct evolution of the Sauber C22. For this purpose, Ferrari's car from the previous year, the Ferrari F2003-GA, was used as a model. In terms of design, care was taken to make the car lighter and test more than last year's car. For the first time, the Sauber car was equipped with the same Ferrari engine type as Ferrari itself and not, as before, with the respective previous year's engine. The engine was designated the Petronas 04A. The fuel also came from Petronas and the car raced with Bridgestone tyres.
The Sauber C23 was unveiled on January 12 in Salzburg at Hangar-7, Red Bull's owned aircraft hangar, to mark the 10th anniversary of Red Bull's sponsorship.
Racing history Giancarlo Fisichella scored the most championship points with 22 with a best finish of 4th place at the Canadian Grand Prix while Felipe Massa scored 12 points also with a best finish of 4th place at the Belgian Grand Prix. The team scored 34 points overall and 6th place in the Constructors' Championship.
Sponsorship and livery Sauber went into 2004 with sponsorship continuity. The livery closely resembles Sauber's previous car, the C22 with the removal of computer software company TEMENOS. This was the last Sauber car featuring sponsorship from Red Bull, before Red Bull's departure to Red Bull Racing in . The following season, Credit Suisse serves as a major sponsor.
A Malaysian flag above the bargeboard at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Complete Formula One results (key) Year Team Engine Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Points WCC 2004 Sauber Petronas Petronas V10* AUS MAL BHR SMR ESP MON EUR CAN USA FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA CHN JPN BRA346th Giancarlo Fisichella 10 11 11 9 7 Ret 6 4 9† 12 6 9 8 5 8 7 8 9 Felipe Massa Ret 8 12 10 9 5 9 Ret Ret 13 9 13 Ret 4 12 8 9 8 * Denotes Ferrari engine badged as Petronas.
References
External links
Sauber C23 Launch - Photo Gallery Sauber C23 Technical Specs