The C24 was the first Sauber car designed and developed entirely using the team's newly completed in-house wind tunnel at their Hinwil facility, which had become operational during the 2004 season. The engine was the Petronas 05A, a 3.0-litre V10 supplied by Ferrari under the Petronas badging arrangement that had been in place since 1997.
The primary technical difficulty of the season was the change from Bridgestone to Michelin tyres. The C24's chassis had initially been conceived with Bridgestone rubber in mind, and adapting it to the different operating characteristics of Michelin compounds proved problematic throughout the year. The team was unable to extract the tyre performance needed to compete consistently in the midfield.
The car's launch was originally planned for 11 January in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to mark the tenth anniversary of Petronas's title sponsorship. The event was cancelled out of respect following the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster that struck on 26 December 2004.
Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 World Champion, joined Sauber from British American Racing. Felipe Massa continued from 2004, giving the team an experienced and competitive pairing. Their combined backgrounds — Villeneuve's from Canada, Massa's from Brazil — made it the first Sauber driver lineup without a European driver. The team did not carry a dedicated test driver during the 2005 season.
The 2005 season was disappointing relative to the team's recent form. The tyre supply change created handling difficulties that were never fully resolved, and both drivers were unable to consistently challenge for the top-ten results the C23 had produced in 2004. The team accumulated 20 points across the year, with neither driver achieving a podium.
Following BMW's acquisition of the Sauber team for the 2006 season, a modified variant designated the Sauber C24B was used for off-season testing between the 2005 and 2006 campaigns. The C24B was fitted with BMW's P86 V8 Formula One engine — the power unit that would debut in the BMW Sauber F1.06 — giving BMW and the incoming driver lineup their first experience with the new engine in a known chassis.
Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve drove the C24B across several test sessions. On 28 November to 2 December 2005, Heidfeld tested at Barcelona in the C24B running Michelin tyres. Between 7 and 17 December 2005, both Heidfeld and Villeneuve tested at the Circuito de Jerez with the same car. Heidfeld conducted a final test with the C24B at an unspecified circuit from 10 to 13 January 2006, with the car painted in a full white interim livery, just ahead of the formal BMW Sauber launch.
With Red Bull's departure at the end of 2004, Credit Suisse became the team's lead sponsor, replacing the blue Red Bull branding that had dominated the previous livery. The front nose changed from white — its colour since 2001 — to blue, reflecting the adoption of Michelin tyres in place of Bridgestone, which had previously influenced the nose colour choice. Petronas continued as an engine partner and title sponsor. The Malaysian flag was carried on the engine cover at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
The C24 represents the final chapter of Peter Sauber's original independent Formula One team before the BMW takeover transformed it into BMW Sauber for 2006. The car's difficult season highlighted the sensitivity of chassis-tyre compatibility in the regulations of the era, and the C24B test programme demonstrated the practical value of running an established chassis to evaluate a new power unit before a full-season commitment.