Ericsson & Nasr team up for Sauber 2015

After a tough 2014 season, Sauber is already hard at work preparing for 2015. This includes a completely different driver line-up. First announced was Marcus Ericsson. The young Swede who drove for Caterham in 2014 but parted ways before the end of the season. Caterham became the center of multiple financial and legal issues, forcing the team to withdrawal from Austin and Brazil. Marcus has already gotten a taste of driving in the Swiss team's car during the post-season test in Abu Dhabi. 

Their second driver for 2015 will be Felipe Nasr. Felipe, who competed in GP2 for Carlin in 2014 and was a reserve for Williams Martini Racing, will get to make his F1 racing this year. Felipe finished 3rd in the GP2 Drivers Championship.  While this is good news for the two young drivers, it leaves question as to what the future hold for Adrian Sutil and Giedo Van Der Garde. The 2 were part of Sauber's 2014 line-up, along with young driver Esteban Gutierrez, who now serves as Ferrari's Reserve driver. 

Completing Sauber's line-up is Italian driver, Raffaele Marciello, who will be their Reserve driver for the 2015 season. The Swiss team will be eager to get back into the groove of things with Pre-Season testing starting in just a few days.

---- Article Written By: Amy Hawk / No Copyright Infringement Intended / Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78 

 

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

No copyright infringement intended

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