Sauber will apply to the FIA

Toyota having decided to withdraw from Formula 1, it is a safe bet that the Cologne team will not be on the starting grid next season. Sauber therefore hopes to recover this vacant place for the next season.

Published on 06/11/2009 à 12:03

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Toyota withdraw from the Formula 1, it is a certainty, but a doubt remains concerning the next season. Will the Cologne team withdraw from F1 or will it suffer the same fate as Brawn GP, formerly Honda? If Ross Brawn had been able to take the issue head on when Honda withdrew, the team abandoned by Toyota could imagine a similar outcome.

But, since nothing is certain, Sauber would like to regain its place on the grid in 2010. The team?Hinwil, from which BMW is withdrawing, found investors for next season but did not formalize the decision after Manor, Campos, USF1 and Lotus were chosen to fill the remaining places for next season.

Since then, the Hinwil team, bought by the Qadbak investment fund, has been on the "waiting list", with the 14th folding seat for 2010. But, Toyota having decided to withdraw from F1, the Swiss team can consider that one of the first thirteen places is now vacant.

« Toyota management made a decision that must be respected “, a BMW-Sauber spokesperson told the Guardian. “ We will now discuss with the FIA the implications regarding BMW-Sauber. »