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Formula 1’s 2019 aerodynamic regulation change comes at a “perfect moment” for Sauber, says team principal Frederic Vasseur.
Sauber is currently rebuilding its engineering team under new technical director Simone Resta.
Long-time Ferrari man Resta left his role as head of vehicle project coordination at Maranello on May 31, and will start work at Sauber at the start of July after a ‘gardening leave’ of just one month.
Resta will work alongside former McLaren, Toro Rosso and Manor man Luca Furbatto, who is the chief designer of Sauber’s 2019 car.
Sauber was one of the teams that voted for the change to the aero rules for next season, and Vasseur says research and development resources will be switched sooner rather than later.
“We are pushing like hell in the aero department,” said Vasseur. “For sure it’s the best moment to get a modification on the aero regs.
“I’m not sure that we have a big game to play in the current championship, to be honest.
“It makes more sense to us to make this kind of switch and be focused quite early on the next regulations.”
Regarding the delay in the issuing of the definitive regulations he said: “We have small points to discuss in the technical regulations.
“The devil is in the detail, but the global picture is there.”
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Vasseur believes that Resta is “the perfect guy” for the Sauber role and the Italian’s key responsibility will be to manage a rapidly expanding engineering staff.
While having Resta on board strengthens Sauber’s ties to Ferrari, Vasseur insists that there is a bigger picture and that he is simply the right man for the job.
“I am not focused on a bigger collaboration with Ferrari,” said Vasseur.
“Alfa Romeo-Sauber is a proper team, and we have to take the best guy.
“For sure the collaboration with Ferrari is a part of the puzzle, and we have to consider the point, but I’m much more focused on Sauber.
“We have to build up a new story. We have the project with Alfa Romeo, we are pushing a lot, and I think from my point of view it makes more than sense to have this kind of link.
“Simone will be fully dedicated to the project.”
Asked if it was tough to hire Resta from Ferrari, Vasseur said: “It was not too difficult!
“The move made sense for Simone, because at one stage he wanted to become the technical director of an F1 team, and it made more than sense for us also.
“So, it was more or less logical.”