New Ownership For Sauber

SAUBER SECURES FUTURE WITH NEW OWNERSHIP

    Swiss company Longbow Finance has taken ownership of the Sauber group in a move that they hope will secure the team’s future in Formula One.

    President of the board of directors, Peter Sauber will retire from all functions, and is succeeded as by Pascal Picci, the president and CEO of Longbow Finance.

    “As a Swiss company, we are pleased with having secured the future of a Swiss presence in a highly specialised and innovative industry,” Picci said.

    Sauber have been struggling with money problems for years, and the results have reflected that struggle. The team is yet to score a point this season, and finished eighth last year.

    Longbow Finance plan to not only keep the team afloat, but to “create the basis for a competitive and successful future” of the team.

    There will be a change behind the scenes to try and bring in the results, though both the name and team principal, Monisha Kaltenborn, will remain the same.

    Kaltenborn is optimistic about the deal.

    “We are convinced that Longbow Finance S.A is the perfect partner to again make the team competitive and successful in Formula One,” she said. “At the same time, the new structure will allow us to finally further expand our third party business in which we commercialise our know-how.”

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Feature: The Swiss Factor - Sauber F1 Team

Hailing from a small town called Hinwil, in Zurich, Switzerland - Sauber has been in Formula 1 for over 20 years. The team was founded back in the 70's by Peter Sauber, but did not make its F1 debut until the South African Grand Prix of 1993. The team managed to score 2 points in the race. 

Their first (of many) podiums was achieved in 1995 at the Italian Grand Prix by Heinz-Harald Frentzen. He finished 3rd.

Sauber has had quite an impressive run in F1 so far. They've completed a total of 382 races, achieved 27 podiums, 1 race win (Robert Kubica - 2008 Canadian GP) and 5 fastest laps. Their most recent podium was Kamui Kobayashi at the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix.

BMW played a big role when Peter Sauber stepped down and they took over in 2006. However they withdrew from F1 after the 2009 season and sold the team back to Peter.

Over the years, Sauber has had many different driver choices and some have gone on to become world champions. Some of the most notable names who drove for the Swiss team include: Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa, Robert Kubica, Sebastian Vettel, Nick Heidfeld & Sergio Perez.

The team currently has Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez as their 2014 Line-Up. Esteban from Mexico and Sutil from Germany. The young mexican rookie is no stranger to the team, having been a reserve for a few years before joining as a main driver in 2013, alongside Nico Hulkenberg, who now drives for Force India.

Monisha Kaltenborn, team principal & CEO has firm belief that Sauber can once again rise to the podium. However, this year the team was faced with many issues on their current car, the C33. Both Esteban & Adrian have had DNF's due to power & battery issues. But - with new upgrades & a few changes to the set-ups, the team is having a better last half of the season.

With just 2 races left, Sauber stands 10th in the Constructors Championship and is hoping to get their first points of the year before the season is over.

Just recently, the team announced that Marcus Ericsson, who is currently driving for Caterham F1 Team, will join Sauber for 2015. They have not yet announced their second driver, but plan to before the season is over.

No matter how their seasons have gone, they have shown courage, determination, loyalty and are always friendly with the fans. So, props to you Sauber, we're always cheering you on - Through the good and the bad. No challenge is to big. Keep pushing & keep fighting!

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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