With their newly-signed title sponsor Alfa Romeo, Sauber are already ramping up their bid to end their backmarker status.
Auto Motor und Sport reports that the beleaguered Swiss team, dead last in 2017, will have put 20 new technical staff to work by the time winter testing begins in February.
"The first began with us on November 1," said Frederic Vasseur, whose first act as team boss this year was to end the planned Honda deal and arrange instead for Sauber to use current Ferrari engines in 2018.
"The others will start step by step. In many cases, we will only benefit from them in the second half of the season in 2018."
Sauber picked up just five points during the 2017 championship.
