Financial struggles hurting Sauber C35 development

Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn admits financial struggles have prevented the Swiss outfit from adding new developments to this year’s C35, but she is confident future upgrades will be “a step ahead”.

Sauber’s difficulties have already been well documented, with the team asking for an advance payment on monies owned by the Formula One Management.

The Hinwill-based squad also had to delay payments of its staff’s February wages, while the C35's launch was postponed to the second pre-season test. After three races in 2016, Sauber is one of only three teams - along with Renault and Manor - yet to score any point.

"We have to juggle a few things around [financially] to get things done," Kaltenborn told Autosport.

"There are bits and pieces which, because of our situation, we are just taking time in getting. So when they're all on the car you will see there is going to be a step ahead.

"It's very difficult to speculate what it's going to be like but there will be movement there. We just have to be patient in getting through this phase."

To compound matters, Sauber has to split its meagre resources between developing its 2016-spec car and preparing for next year’s planned technical overhaul.

"We're not going to be having massive updates coming because, with whatever's coming for 2017, you're in a situation of what do you focus on?" Kaltenborn added.

"We once took the decision to focus on a season [in 2013 when Sauber secured seventh in the Constructors’ championship with 57 points], and we know what happened the next season [the team finished without any points] as there was a big change on the powertrain side that had a major impact.

"So we have to balance that out this season, and this car is not really our full 2016 car.”

Kaltenborn previously said the fate of smaller F1 teams showed that “something was fundamentally wrong” with the sport. Along with Force India, Sauber lodged a complaint with the European Union opposing its "unfair and unlawful" governance and payment structure last September.

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