Unlike last year, though, Team SAUBER PETRONAS will no longer be using a Ferrari gearbox, returning instead to the previous practice of utilising a design of its own. From the 2005 season onwards, FIA Formula 1 engine regulations require the power units to be run for two entire race weekends. This means that the total mileage of an engine may come up to roughly 1600 kilometres. This is twice the distance covered in 2004.

Osamu Goto, Head of Powertrain at SAUBER PETRONAS, says: "This change in regulations results in extremely high demands. While no manufacturer wants to make sacrifices in performance compared to 2004, they all have to assure that the engine will last over the prescribed distance. Despite the fact that due to the new requirements mileage has been doubled, we have achieved further weight reductions to benefit the C24's performance."

Back in the late nineteen-nineties, PETRONAS, the national oil and gas corporation of Malaysia, had launched its own lubricant that was subjected to further development for use in the Formula 1 engine and - under the brand name of "Syntium" - has been successfully utilised by the team since 2000. In addition, since the 2003 season, the team has been using the "Primax" fuel, a joint development by PETRONAS and engineers of SAUBER PETRONAS ENGINEERING AG (SPE).

PETRONAS 05A Technical Data: