 Zhou Guanyu driving a C44 during theDutch Grand Prix | |||||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Kick Sauber | ||||||||||
| Designers | James Key(Technical Director)[1] Eric Gandelin(Chief Designer) Lucia Conconi(Head of Vehicle Performance) Alessandro Cinelli(Head of Aerodynamics) Franck Sanchez(Chief Aerodynamicist) | ||||||||||
| Predecessor | Alfa Romeo C43 | ||||||||||
| Successor | Kick Sauber C45 | ||||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Carbon fibre double wishbone, pullrod-activated inboard torsion springs, rockers and Öhlins damper units | ||||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Carbon fibre double wishbone, pushrod-activated inboard torsion springs, rockers and Öhlins damper units | ||||||||||
| Engine | Ferrari066/12 1.6 L (98 cu in) direct injectionV6turbocharged engine limited to 15,000rpm in amid-mounted, rear-wheel drive layout 1.6 L (98 cu in) V6 (90°)turbocharged, 15,000 rpm limited | ||||||||||
| Electric motor | Ferrarikinetic andthermal energy recovery systems | ||||||||||
| Transmission | Sauber carbon case withFerrari cassette, 8-speed + 1 reverse sequential seamlesssemi-automatic paddle shift | ||||||||||
| Battery | Lithium-ion battery | ||||||||||
| Weight | 798 kg (1,759 lb) | ||||||||||
| Fuel | Shell V-Power[note 1] | ||||||||||
| Lubricants | Shell Helix Ultra[note 2] | ||||||||||
| Brakes | Brembo carbon brake discs and pads with rearbrake by wire,Brembo monobloc calipers in nickel-plated aluminium alloy,Brembo tandem brake master cylinders | ||||||||||
| Tyres | Pirelli P Zero (dry) Pirelli Cinturato (wet) | ||||||||||
| Clutch | Carbon Composite | ||||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||||
| Notable entrants | Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber | ||||||||||
| Notable drivers | |||||||||||
| Debut | 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last event | 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
TheKick Sauber C44 is aFormula One car designed and constructed byStake F1 Team Kick Sauber to compete in the2024 Formula One World Championship. The car was driven byValtteri Bottas andZhou Guanyu, both in their third and final year with the team. The C44 was the first chassis to re-inherit the Sauber name after the team's naming rights partnership withAlfa Romeo ended. While substantially different than theAlfa Romeo C43, the car experienced poor reliability and regressed during the season after upgrades repeatedly failed to address fundamental issues. The C44 relegated Sauber to a last place finish in the World Constructor's Championship for the first time since2017, scoring four total points in the penultimate race of the season at theQatar Grand Prix.
The C44 was the first Sauber design to be led byJames Key, who reunited with then-CEOAndreas Seidl after his dismissal fromMcLaren. He inherited a design started by longtime Sauber designerJan Monchaux, who was replaced by Key in August of 2023.[2] Key claimed that the C44 was a clean sheet design, sharing only very select designs with the preceding C43.[3] In a first for the team, the car utilized an in-house transmission casing that housed its customerFerrari gearbox.[2] The C44's initial design inherited a new pull-rod front suspension as used by Key at McLaren, and featured a new downwards-sloping sidepod with very tight packaging.[4][5] Following the FIA's investigation into the C42's upside-down crash at the2022 British Grand Prix, Sauber abandoned its unique roll hoop and air intake designs for a more conventional A-shape design on the C44.[2][6]
Following the conclusion of Sauber's naming rights partnership with Alfa Romeo, the team unveiled a new title partnership agreement with theAustralian-Curaçaoan online casinoStake.[7] The team sold the C44's chassis naming rights to the company's streaming subsidiaryKick, adopting the latter's branding and altering the team's name in jurisdictions where gambling sponsorships are outlawed.[8]
The C44 made its track debut atCircuit de Barcelona-Catalunya during a promotional filming exercise, later making its public debut at official preseason testing atBahrain International Circuit.[7]
Following preseason testing, a new front wing was developed and deployed at the third round of the season at theAustralian Grand Prix.[9] However, this development was negated by a substantial issue caused by lightweight wheel nuts introduced on the C44. This new design cross-threaded the team's wheel guns and caused dramatically slow pit times upwards of thirty seconds, eliminating the C44 from points contention in the opening rounds.[10] A new ground effect floor introduced at theEmilia Romagna Grand Prix did not have the desired effect, and the car slipped towards the back of the grid.[11] In the first seven rounds of the season, the C44 achieved a best result of eleventh and did not threaten for a points-paying position,[12] with their best qualifying result being a Q3 appearance in Shanghai, where Bottas qualified tenth.
New rear and beam wings introduced at theMonaco andCanadian Grands Prix did not increase performance,[11][13] prompting the team to revert Zhou Guanyu to an early-season specification to diagnose engineering correlation issues.[14] At the same time, both drivers expressed concerns with the C44's tyre management capabilities, commenting publicly that they struggled to bring their tyres up to the required operating envelope in both qualifying and race trims.[15][16] Shortly after the summer break, team ownerAudi AG publicly declared that the team's performance was 'unacceptably poor'.[17] Pundits commented that the team's struggles may have derived from Audi's fixation on the 2026 championship and executive infighting that led to Seidl's dismissal from the team during the summer break.[18][19] In the period from Monaco to theDutch Grand Prix, the C44 achieved a best result of thirteenth on three occasions and still did not threaten for points.[12]
The C44 experienced an aerodynamic breakthrough at theLas Vegas Grand Prix, where a fundamentally redesigned floor geometry changed floor fences, leading edges, and the rear diffuser.[20][21] Both cars reached Q2 during qualifying, with Zhou finishing in thirteenth on merit ahead of competitors including Aston Martin, Williams, and RB. At the next round inQatar, the C44 achieved its only points finish of the season in eight position with Zhou Guanyu.[22] At the final round atYas Marina, the C44 achieved its only other Q3 appearance with Bottas in ninth position. At the end of the season, the C44 participated inPirelli tyre testing atYas Marina Circuit with new driversNico Hülkenburg andGabriel Bortoleto.[23]
| Key | |
|---|---|
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | Second place |
| Bronze | Third place |
| Green | Other points position |
| Blue | Other classified position |
| Not classified, finished (NC) | |
| Purple | Not classified, retired (Ret) |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| Race cancelled (C) | |
| Blank | Did not practice (DNP) |
| Excluded (EX) | |
| Did not arrive (DNA) | |
| Withdrawn (WD) | |
| Did not enter (empty cell) | |
| Annotation | Meaning |
| P | Pole position |
| F | Fastest lap |
| Superscript number | Points-scoring position insprint |
| Year | Entrant | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | Grands Prix | Points | WCC | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BHR | SAU | AUS | JPN | CHN | MIA | EMI | MON | CAN | ESP | AUT | GBR | HUN | BEL | NED | ITA | AZE | SIN | USA | MXC | SAP | LVG | QAT | ABU | |||||||
| 2024 | Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber | Ferrari 066/12 1.6V6t | P |  Valtteri Bottas | 19 | 17 | 14 | 14 | Ret | 16 | 18 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 18 | 11 | Ret | 4 | 10th |
 Zhou Guanyu | 11 | 18 | 15 | Ret | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Ret | 20 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 13 | ||||||
| Source:[12] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
