Sauber spent the 1996 season looking for an alternative to Ford engines, with which the two-year supply agreement expired at the end of the year. The solution was a two-year contract with Ferrari for the supply of the 1996 V10s, however, branded Petronas and not Ferrari. Sauber's results in 1997 were quite fluctuating, with a seventh place in the constructors' championship. Johnny Herbert was 10th in the standings with 15 points: his best result was a third place in Hungary. Larini instead obtained a sixth place in Australia. Gianni Morbidelli and Norberto Fontana also drove for Sauber in 1997.