It was driven by Esteban Gutiérrez in his Formula One debut alongside Nico Hülkenberg,[5][6] who joined the team after racing for Force India in 2012.

[8] The C32 was designed by Matt Morris, Pierre Waché and Willem Toet with the car being powered by a customer Ferrari engine.

It features distinct narrow sidepods which, according to designer Matt Morris, were inspired by former driver Sergio Pérez's crash at the 2011 Monaco Grand Prix.

In his first race for Sauber, the Australian Grand Prix, Hülkenberg qualified in eleventh position but could not take the start due to a leak in his C32's fuel system.

However, in the Italian Grand Prix, Hülkenberg achieved a sensational third place in qualifying, and finished the race in a good fifth position.