[Iceman]

Sauber have become the first team to confirm a launch date for their 2011 car. The Ferrari-powered C30 will be unveiled at Valencia on January 31, the day before the first pre-season test of the New Year gets underway at the Spanish circuit.

The C30 will be piloted by Japan’s Kamui Kobayashi, who scored 32 of the team’s 42 points in 2010, along with Mexican newcomer Sergio Perez, this year’s GP2 Series runner-up.

The car will be the first Sauber designed under the guidance of technical director James Key, who joined the Swiss squad from Force India earlier this season.

“We’re setting our sights high, and things are looking good so far,” team principal Peter Sauber said of the C30 earlier this week. “James Key has proved in the past that he knows how to build fast cars.

"All the changes to the technical regulations - including the ban on double diffusers, the introduction of Pirelli tyres, adjustable rear wings and the option of using KERS - make this a particularly exacting challenge this year.”

All 12 teams are due to participate in the three-day Valencia test commencing February 1. That will be followed by Jerez and Barcelona sessions later that month, with a final pre-season test expected in Bahrain in early March.