The Sauber C16 was the car with which the Sauber

Sauber

Sauber F1 Team is a Swiss Formula One team. It was founded in the 1970s by Peter Sauber, who progressed through hillclimbing and the World Sportscar Championship to reach Formula One in 1993....

 Formula One

Formula One

Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

 team competed in the 1997 Formula One season

1997 Formula One season

The 1997 Formula One season was the 48th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 9, 1997, and ended on October 26 after seventeen races.-Season summary:...

. It was initially driven by Johnny Herbert

Johnny Herbert

John Paul Herbert is a British racing driver from England. He competed in Formula One, winning three races, and also in sports cars winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1991 driving a Mazda 787B...

, who was in his second season with the team, and Nicola Larini

Nicola Larini

Nicola Larini is a racing driver from Italy. He participated in 75 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on September 6, 1987. He finished second in the tragic 1994 San Marino Grand Prix on a substitute outing for Ferrari, but only scored points once more in his career...

. Larini's place in the team was secured via an arrangement that gave the team the previous year's Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....

 engines that were used in the F310

Ferrari F310

The Ferrari F310, and its evolution, the F310B, was the Formula One racing car with which the Ferrari team competed in the and seasons. It was driven in both years by Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine....

 that scored three wins in 1996, badged as Petronas

Petronas

PETRONAS, short for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, is a Malaysian oil and gas company that was founded on August 17, 1974. Wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, the corporation is vested with the entire oil and gas resources in Malaysia and is entrusted with the responsibility of developing and...

 in deference to the team's major Malaysian sponsor. This agreement to use Ferrari engines lasted until the team's purchase by BMW

BMW Sauber

BMW has been involved in Formula One in a number of capacities since the inauguration of the World Drivers' Championship in . The company entered occasional races in the 1950s and 1960s , before building the BMW M12/13 inline-four turbocharged engine in the 1980s...

 for .

However, Larini, Ferrari's test driver, was unhappy with the team's ambience and quit after five Grands Prix. Gianni Morbidelli

Gianni Morbidelli

Gianni Morbidelli is a racing driver from Italy. He is the son of Giancarlo Morbidelli, the founder of Morbidelli motorcycle company which had success in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Morbidelli participated in 70 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on March 11, 1990. He achieved one podium, and...

 was brought in as a replacement, but he broke his arm on two separate occasions during the year and had to be replaced by rookie Norberto Fontana

Norberto Fontana

Norberto Edgardo Fontana is an Argentine racing driver. He participated in four Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on June 29, 1997. His opportunity to race came as a result of two separate injuries sustained by regular Sauber driver Gianni Morbidelli during the 1997 season...

 whilst he recovered. All three drivers were comprehensively out-performed by Herbert.

Against some expectations, the car was competitive at the beginning of the season, but fell away slightly as the season progressed due to lack of development compared with better-funded rivals. Herbert's impressive season culminated in the team's third-ever podium finish at the 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix

1997 Hungarian Grand Prix

The 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Hungaroring on August 10, 1997.Damon Hill, as defending world champion, had experienced a miserable year in the uncompetitive Arrows-Yamaha, but the team experienced a spike in performance levels at Hungary, mainly due to their...

 (where he also beat both works Ferraris). He scored all but one of the team's tally of points.

The team eventually finished seventh in the Constructors' Championship, with 16 points.

Complete Formula One results

(results in bold indicate pole position)

Year	Team	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Points	WCC
1997 1997 Formula One season The 1997 Formula One season was the 48th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 9, 1997, and ended on October 26 after seventeen races.-Season summary:...	Sauber Sauber Sauber F1 Team is a Swiss Formula One team. It was founded in the 1970s by Peter Sauber, who progressed through hillclimbing and the World Sportscar Championship to reach Formula One in 1993....	Petronas Petronas PETRONAS, short for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, is a Malaysian oil and gas company that was founded on August 17, 1974. Wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, the corporation is vested with the entire oil and gas resources in Malaysia and is entrusted with the responsibility of developing and...  V10 V10 engine A V10 engine is a V engine with 10 cylinders in two banks of five with a distinct exhaust note.- Mechanics :The V10 is essentially the result of mating two even-firing straight-5 engines together. The straight-5 engine shows first and second order rocking motion...			AUS 1997 Australian Grand Prix The 1997 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 9 March 1997 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Albert Park, Melbourne. It was the first race of the 1997 Formula One season. It was the second Grand Prix to be hosted in Melbourne.-Pre-race:...	BRA 1997 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1997 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Autódromo José Carlos Pace near Interlagos, Brazil on March 30, 1997. It was the second race of the 1997 Formula One season.-Pre-Race:...	ARG 1997 Argentine Grand Prix The 1997 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez in Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 13, 1997. It was the third race of the 1997 Formula One season.-Pre-Race:...	SMR 1997 San Marino Grand Prix The 1997 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari near Imola, Italy on April 27, 1997. It was the fourth race of the 1997 Formula One season.-Pre-race:...	MON 1997 Monaco Grand Prix The 1997 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 11, 1997 at the Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco.- Summary :Qualifying saw Heinz-Harald Frentzen in his Williams-Renault in front of Michael Schumacher in the Ferrari; third was Jacques Villeneuve in the other Williams...	ESP 1997 Spanish Grand Prix The 1997 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 25, 1997 at the Circuit de Catalunya.This classic Spanish Grand Prix is memorable for the great performance of Olivier Panis, starting from 12th on the grid, and finishing 2nd closing on the leader Jacques Villeneuve by 1.5 to 2 seconds...	CAN 1997 Canadian Grand Prix The 1997 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 15, 1997.The race was marred by a big crash involving Olivier Panis, who broke his legs and would be unable to start the next seven grands prix. It has been argued that this crash affected Panis's...	FRA 1997 French Grand Prix The 1997 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Magny-Cours on June 29, 1997.-Race summary:At the start, Michael Schumacher led away from pole with Frentzen in the Williams behind him all the way...	GBR 1997 British Grand Prix The 1997 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on 13 July 1997. It was the ninth round of the 1997 Formula One season. Jacques Villeneuve won the race despite being stuck in the pitlane for half a minute during his first pitstop, after a wheelnut problem.Two previous...	GER 1997 German Grand Prix The 1997 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Hockenheimring on July 27, 1997. It was won by Austrian driver Gerhard Berger in a Benetton. This race proved to be his final victory and final pole position, as he retired at the end of the season. Berger had missed the previous 3...	HUN 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix The 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Hungaroring on August 10, 1997.Damon Hill, as defending world champion, had experienced a miserable year in the uncompetitive Arrows-Yamaha, but the team experienced a spike in performance levels at Hungary, mainly due to their...	BEL 1997 Belgian Grand Prix The 1997 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on August 24, 1997. The wet weather associated with the circuit came heavily, causing the race to be started behind the safety car for the first time in Formula One history....	ITA 1997 Italian Grand Prix The 1997 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 7, 1997. Jean Alesi, starting from pole position, led the race until the halfway stage; however, David Coulthard, who had jumped from sixth on the grid into third place coming out of the first corner, got ahead of...	AUT 1997 Austrian Grand Prix The 1997 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at A1-Ring on September 21, 1997. Qualifying threw up a few surprises, as the Bridgestone tyres used by several smaller teams proved strong, but it was ultimately Jacques Villeneuve who won...	LUX 1997 Luxembourg Grand Prix The 1997 Luxembourg Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on September 28, 1997. Jacques Villeneuve took what proved to be his final Formula One victory, after the race-leading McLaren-Mercedes cars had identical engine failures within moments of each other...	JPN 1997 Japanese Grand Prix The 1997 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 12, 1997 at the Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka. It was the 16th and penultimate race of the 1997 Formula One season. The race, contested over 53 laps, was won by Michael Schumacher for the Ferrari team after starting from...	EUR 1997 European Grand Prix The 1997 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 26, 1997 at the Circuito Permanente de Jerez, Spain. Originally scheduled as the Grand Prix of Portugal at the Estoril circuit, it was moved when Estoril’s management had financial difficulties. It was the 17th and final...	16	7th
				Johnny Herbert Johnny Herbert John Paul Herbert is a British racing driver from England. He competed in Formula One, winning three races, and also in sports cars winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1991 driving a Mazda 787B...	Ret	7	4	Ret	Ret	5	5	8	Ret	Ret	3	4	Ret	8	7	6	8
				Nicola Larini Nicola Larini Nicola Larini is a racing driver from Italy. He participated in 75 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on September 6, 1987. He finished second in the tragic 1994 San Marino Grand Prix on a substitute outing for Ferrari, but only scored points once more in his career...	6	11	Ret	7	Ret
				Gianni Morbidelli Gianni Morbidelli Gianni Morbidelli is a racing driver from Italy. He is the son of Giancarlo Morbidelli, the founder of Morbidelli motorcycle company which had success in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Morbidelli participated in 70 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on March 11, 1990. He achieved one podium, and...						14	10				Ret	9	12	9	9	DNS
				Norberto Fontana Norberto Fontana Norberto Edgardo Fontana is an Argentine racing driver. He participated in four Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on June 29, 1997. His opportunity to race came as a result of two separate injuries sustained by regular Sauber driver Gianni Morbidelli during the 1997 season...								Ret	9	9							14