Sauber gets 2010 grid slot
December 3, 2009 by Negative Camber
Filed under People & Events, Top Story
Peter Sauber’s team was awarded the remaining grid slot for the 2010 F1 series according to the FIA’s website.
The FIA has written to inform BMW Sauber AG that their application for an entry in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship has been successful. Subject to their signing the Concorde Agreement, BMW Sauber will be awarded the 13th entry in the Championship, taking the place of the departing Toyota team.
The FIA has worked closely with the Commercial Rights Holder and the teams involved over recent weeks and is grateful for their support in achieving the best outcome for the sport.
An updated Formula One entry list will be published in due course.
As we mentioned here, Swiss paper Blick predicted the announcement this week and it corroborates with the notion that Toyota is seeking an amicable withdrawal and penalty incurred with commercial rights holder CVC represented by Bernie Ecclestone.
Toyota, it appears, relinquished their grid slot to the FIA instead of attempting to sell it and the team. This move, and perhaps a penalty in the shape of a financial fine, has given Sauber the spot they needed to race in 2010.
The good news was expected but the tenuous nature of BMW F1′s fate was hanging in the balance. The previous purchase agreement with Qadbak proved to be too late to be considered for a grid slot as a new team and the only real chance was for the teams controlling interest to be re-acquired by minority share holder Peter Sauber. One suspects a nice fruit basket might show up at Toyota’s office in Japan from the Sauber team for the holidays.
It also appears that the FIA are not concerned with the team using Ferrari engines instead of the Cosoworth option endorsed by the governing body for all new teams entering F1.
For Toyota’s part, they told Autosport that they would not be looking to sell their grid slot or team to an investor but are looking to offer some inventory and car design to any of the new teams.
So it’s good news for Sauber and all the employees at Hinwill and we couldn’t be more happy for them.
Loading ...
Well, whether the Sauber entry truly qualifies as a new team and therefore are subject to the Cosworth mandate is debatable. However, I can’t see them being overly successful unless they’ve been busy on development all this while. What sponsorship do they have lined up now that BMW has left them?
Maybe Petronas will step up and resume a high profile support position with the team. This is basically a return to ’05. Perhaps the team can sign Heidfeld and JV as drivers for posterity.
Petronas may have a split loyalty to Lotus being a Malaysian company.
Right on. This is some good news to go along with the return of the Canadian GP. It will be my first time experiencing a race live and I’m happy that I might be cheering my favourite underdog Nick Heidfeld driving for Sauber Ferrari. [Crosses fingers]
Now you’re talking!! another Nick fan…woot!
It’really a good news!!! i really appreciate Peter Sauber as a team owner, he built a big reality over years of work and i think with his good management Sauber will be a good middle-team..
Cheers! Another team with training wheels! Who needs in season testing to prepare young drivers? Just throw the youngsters in one of the backmarkers and the promising ones can be poached by one of the top teams. It all makes sense to me.