Sauber says it has lengthened the wheelbase of its 2018 Formula 1 car, a change that offers clues about what supplier Ferrari may have done with its new challenger.

The Swiss outfit revealed its aggressive new C37 on Tuesday, featuring Alfa Romeo branding as a result of a closer collaboration with Ferrari for the 2018 season.

The new car features a different aerodynamic and mechanical concept to its predecessor - including following the lead set by Mercedes and Toro Rosso last year of having high front wishbones to help clear up airflow underneath the chassis.

The car's wheelbase has also been lengthened for aerodynamic reasons, with increasing suggestions that Ferrari has also elected to go with a longer base compared to last year.

Sauber technical director Joerg Zander said: "The C37 is an all new race machine. It is based on a much more innovative and radical aerodynamic concept.

"You will note that the nose and front wing concept has changed.

"The wheelbase has been changed which means the front axle is moved further forwards.

"This is in order to provide more space for turning elements in order to enhance aerodynamic performance.

"We also changed the wishbone height to a larger height in order to enhance aerodynamic performance and as well we changed the inboard suspension elements to a much more compact and lighter design.

"Further back you will see the bodywork is much more slender.

"The packaging around the new cooling system is very tight. The design office has put a lot of effort into this."

Sauber agreed a new deal with Ferrari to use its latest specification engine and gearbox for 2018, and the C37 will also use the same rear suspension as the manufacturer.

"At the back of the car we have the new 2018 Ferrari engine which will power us to very good positions," added Zander.

"We also have the gearbox of the Ferrari together with the rear suspension - which meant we had to move the rear suspension by 40mm further backwards."

Zander hopes that the C37 is a stable car for drivers Marcus Ericsson and Charles Leclerc. Major updates on the car are also set to be introduced in the early stages of the season.

"There is a development plan in place for 2018 and we are going to introduce major upgrades on the aerodynamic package," added Zander.

"There will be new floors and a new front wing, and perhaps also new bodywork elements being introduced.

"We split those in the beginning or first half of the season to some particular races.

"Later, in the second part of the season, there will be some key upgrades presented."

McLaren is planning a "substantial" update to its Formula 1 car for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, with its launch-spec set to be unveiled on Friday.

The team's MCL33 will be revealed later this week, and it will feature a Renault engine and is set for a bold new livery look that will appeal to fans.

But while there are big changes taking place at the team, its aero chief Peter Prodromou says that the initial design that will be revealed and will test next week will not be radically different from last year.

However, a big effort is being made to introduce new parts for the first race in Melbourne that could deliver a decent step forward in pace.

"We have tried to develop the car as we have done for the last three years," explained Prodromou about the car design. "We've tried to develop it in an evolutionary fashion.

"I think you can expect to see something quite similar conceptually for launch – and then in truth we have spent the last two to three months focusing on a race one upgrade.

"That is where the major focus has been and still is – to try to deliver a decent upgrade both aerodynamically and mechanically and try to put our best foot forward for Melbourne."

He added: "We very much hope and expect that the car will feel from the off quite similar to how it felt at the end of last year and perform quite similarly.

"Hopefully we've taken a step forwards and then we will try to do something a bit more substantial for Melbourne."

500km target

McLaren will be heading to pre-season testing hoping for much improved fortunes over 12 months ago, when its endured a nightmare start to the year with Honda.

Although it knows nothing can be guaranteed in F1, the team says that a plan is in place for it to complete 2000km per test with its Renault-powered car.

McLaren's engineering director Matt Morris said: "500km per day is a plan. That is on the run plan."

Asked about where he felt the team was compared to last year, he said: "It is always nice to be a little bit further ahead, wherever you are.

"In terms of all the sign off of the car, and running it [the gearbox] on the back of a Renault engine, we should be going into winter testing in as good a state as we can be. Even if we had changed engine earlier, we would not have done other things earlier."

Red Bull has traditionally left it late to launch its new car, and then only shown as little of it as possible. But the team made a disappointing start to the new season 12 months ago and decided to shake things up by ‘disrupting’ its usual arrangements.

The RB14 broke cover on Monday and the team not only showed off more of the car than usual, but also sent it for a test run around Silverstone. However they were still keen to keep some of its design secrets hidden.

The RB14 that trundled round a wet Silverstone on Monday certainly looks the part in its one-off test livery. Under its fresh skin the early signs are promising for a team which needs to hit the ground running this time.

As per most car launches, Red Bull have kept their powder dry by retaining the front wing and nose configuration from the end of last year. The retention of the S-duct shows that this feature will more than likely be part of any further updates.

Things begin to get more interesting around the front suspension. The suspension has long been constrained by aerodynamics, so there is little scope to produce anything too innovative given the minimal space given to the designers.

Indeed Red Bull was one of the first to bring back pullrod rear suspension for this reason. The general concept of controlling the car under load is well understood and although we have seen many new tricks over recent years, these have all been orientated around aerodynamic gains.

Mercedes and Toro Rosso pushed the boat out further last year with a horned king pin arrangement for the upper wishbone, allowing them to lie the A-arm horizontally and also raise the lower wishbone below – this was done to clear the arms from the front wing’s wake and open up a clearer path for air to travel over the bargeboards. Red Bull have not copied this directly on the RB14 but have had a similar train of thought. The inboard mounts, for the upper wishbone in particular, are brought forward and jut out from the chassis, manipulating the airflow in a tidier manner as it journeys along the side of the tub.

At its midriff the RB14 carries forward ideas from 2017 with a bit more aggression. Like the other cars we have seen so far Red Bull have adopted the low slung impact spar to form the lower leading edge of the sidepod inlet and with it an aggressive undercut. The spar extends out to support the revised deflector wings, although curiously this was edited out in one particular photo:


Is this a sensitive detail in itself, or is Red Bull attempting to deflect attention elsewhere on the car?

The inlet itself lies further back and sits perpendicularly to the oncoming flow – a large horizontal vane hoods the opening, circumnavigating the angled inlet regulation.

The size and profile of the sidepods themselves are a thing of beauty and are certainly of Red Bull blood: small, leaning inwards and hugging the car centreline. It will be very interesting to see how the radiators have been packaged within.

Up above the airbox has been redesigned to deal with the wake coming off the Halo, while the engine cover features split lines along its spine which suggest that there are different options to be tried over the testing period.

The back of the car appears largely unchanged so far: the rear brake ducts are of interest but the key features are yet to receive development.

Actually it’s easier to get out of the car with the proper Halo rather than the mock-up because it’s stronger and you can lean on it.