Sauber buys Sauber

I think it deserves its own thread:
http://pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=39612

Nice to see their future seems safe!

 

So, they're in the 2010 F1 championships?

 

Yes..

Also a rumour that Toyota have been told that their entry has been sold on to someone else – and that some of them are going to be asked to stay on to build and run their car for a man called Stefan from Serbia. Apparently the government down there is paying for “Stefan Grand Prix” to become a reality.

 

That is good news. Sauber is about as solid as it gets in F1.

 

I hope it all works out. I wonder why he didn't take this approach from the start? If he had the money and was willing to spend it why would he take on partners? Particularly partners that he (and everyone else) knew so little about. Can it be that BMW has drastically reduced their price?

 

Best news in a long time.

So our B-team has been saved and next year we'll see the Sauber-Ferrari team again! WOOHOO!

 

That's the icing on the cake!

Too bad they're cutting jobs instead of hiring, Sauber-Ferrari would be high up on the list of companies to receive my application if I don't choose to become a doctor next year after my graduation...

 

F1 is introducing caps on employees per team. Reducing the staff now is actually a wise move. It'll be only more painful for the other teams when they have to do the same thing.

 

Steve,

Are you drunk?

 

LOL.. no I have read it...

 

I thought it was just trackside employees per team? Limiting shop/office staff per team is so unfair to the little teams, who don't have a vast number of "non-race team" employees that the manufacturers do. I'm sure the big guys could technically run with just a single employee on the "race" team.

 

I'm not sure on the details, I thought it was also for the guys in the factory. And you are absolutely correct, that would be so unfair to the non manufacturers teams. Ferrari for instance can hide its entire F1 team in the Clienti Corsi, street car development and road racing support program.

The idea is about as manageable as reducing the hours of windtunnel testing.

 

I don't mean to put a damper on this thread but according to this page on the BBC sport website Sauber's grid placement isn't as comfortable as it seems.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8382659.stm

 

that article doesn't appear to shed any new light on the situation? other than BBC's limited fact checking (evidenced by misspelling Qadbak).

 

It would make zero sense not to give Sauber their gridspot back. With Toyota gone, there is an opening for a valid team to fill. Valid as in we have a car, mechanics, infrastructure, drivers and money. Unlike some other smoke screen enterprises, which have a gridspot and nothing else.

 

I don't think Sauber will have any problem getting the grid spot.

 

Does it depend on whether they're signed with Cossie?

 

A simple examination of the Concorde Agreement would answer all these questions.
Oh I forgot. Its a secret.

 

If Sauber has to use Cossies next year my interest would be down 50% at the least.

 

I thought that Sauber had already secured the supply of Ferrari engines for next year.
Sauber is not a new team, so the Coaworth clause shouldn't apply. .

If I remember right, Sauber used to have Ferrari engines before, and that's how Ferrari spotted Massa and Raikkonen in the past, by working with them at Fiorano where Sauber used to 'debug' the Ferrari engines.

There is more to expect from a collaboration between Ferrari and Sauber than with Toro Roso, or Force India in the past. Hopefully Thyesen would stay to manage the team too.

 

The FIA could insist that Sauber run run Cossies as they do with the other "New" teams.

 

They missed the deadline for signing the Concorde agreement. That technically makes them a new joiner, so the threat that they might have to use the Cosworth is real.

Indeed, they used to be Ferrari's B-team in the past. One year they actually also used the whole rear part of the Ferrari: Engine, tranny and suspension. And yes it was Peter Sauber who spotted and brought Massa and Raikkoenen into F1.

He won't. He stays with BMW.

 

I can't see how anyone could consider Sauber a 'new' team.
It's the SAME team, called Sauber instead of BMW Sauber!!

In that case, Mercedes GP is also a 'new' team and should run Cosworth engine too!

Also, I cannot see the logic in the FIA imposing a particular engine to new entrants.
But eh, "logic" and "FIA" shouldn't be in the same sentence!

After all, teams will have to pay full price for their Cosworth engines, whilst some other manufacturers could offer theirs cheaper or even free.

 

The difference is that Brawn GP did sign the Concorde agreement on time. Sauber did not.

 

Exactly.
The question remains, will the FIA do the right thing?

It would be nice, but not in character