🏎 Why it’s time to get excited about Sauber

If Formula 1’s new owners Liberty really do want a Leicester City-style fairytale story, it could look no further than Sauber to pull off some remarkable results in F1 2019. While it has lost rookie sensation Charles Leclerc to Ferrari, Sauber gets former world champion Kimi Raikkonen along with potential star of the future Antonio Giovinazzi. With a stable budget platform for the first time in ages, team principal Frederic Vasseur must be licking his lips at the potential for humbling some of the big boys – especially with new aerodynamic regulations to be applied. Sauber proved very adept at developing its car last year, until the update brakes were slammed on to switch to the 2019 car. If it can hit the ground running in Barcelona testing, who knows what it might be capable of? Charles Bradley, Global Editor in Chief [motorsport.com]( E D I T O R ' S C H O I C E [Sauber "pushed like hell" on 2019 car early]( Sauber has "good expectations" for the 2019 Formula 1 season because of how early it switched "all resources" to its new design. S C O T T M I T C H E L L / O L E G K A R P O V [Formula 1 should slash downforce by "40-50%"]( Formula 1 bosses should slash downforce levels by a "minimum of 40-50%" to improve the spectacle of grand prix racing, reckons Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost. P A T S Y M O N D S [Why an F1 veteran is embracing Esports]( A trip the 2018 F1 Esports Pro Series helped to convince Pat Symonds that virtual racing can have a significant impact on the health of grand prix racing in the future J U L I A P I Q U E T [McLaren’s Zak Brown on F1 2019 plans]( Motorsport Network’s Julia Piquet speaks to McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown about his team’s 2019 Formula 1 plans, Fernando Alonso’s Indy 500 return, and gives his prediction for this year’s world championship winner. A L E X K A L I N A U C K A S [Vergne has changed approach for title defence]( Reigning ABB FIA Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne says he has changed his approach to races from his title-winning campaign for the 2018/19 season. J A M I E K L E I N [Toyota: Privateers may need pegging back in 2019]( The FIA World Endurance Championship's LMP1 privateers may have to be eventually pegged back if they continue to progress, Toyota has suggested. S E R G I O L I L L O [Al-Attiyah confirms Alonso wants Dakar Toyota test]( Dakar Rally star Nasser Al-Attiyah has confirmed that he has spoken with Fernando Alonso about the possibility of the Spaniard testing his Toyota Hilux in Qatar in February.
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