 | |
| Full name | Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber[1] |
|---|---|
| Base | Hinwil, Zürich, Switzerland Bicester,Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (Technology Centre)[2][3] |
| Teamprincipal(s) | Jonathan Wheatley |
| Chief Technical & Operating Officer | Mattia Binotto[4][5] |
| Technical director | James Key |
| Founder(s) | Peter Sauber |
| Website | sauber-group.com |
| Previous name | BMW Sauber Alfa Romeo F1 Team |
| Next name | Audi F1 Team |
| 2025 Formula One World Championship | |
| Race drivers | 5. Gabriel Bortoleto[6]27.  Nico Hülkenberg[7] |
| Test driver(s) |  Paul Aron |
| Chassis | C45 |
| Engine | Ferrari |
| Tyres | Pirelli |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| First entry | 1993 South African Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix |
| Races entered | 503 (500 starts)[N 1] |
| Engines | Sauber,Mercedes,Ford,Petronas,BMW,Ferrari |
| Constructors' Championships | 0 |
| Drivers' Championships | 0 |
| Race victories | 1[N 2] |
| Podiums | 28[N 4] |
| Points | 920[N 5] |
| Pole positions | 1[N 3] |
| Fastest laps | 5[N 6] |
| 2024 position | 10th (4 pts) |
Sauber Motorsport AG, currently competing inFormula One asStake F1 Team Kick Sauber and also known simply asKick Sauber orSauber, is a Swissmotorsport engineering company and race team. Founded byPeter Sauber asPP Sauber AG in 1970, the team produced sports cars forhillclimbing andendurance racing until 1993. In theWorld Sportscar Championship, the team's factory affiliation withMercedes-Benz yielded two world championships and overall victory at the1989 24 Hours of Le Mans. AfterGroup C racing regulations were outlawed, Sauber joinedFormula One in1993 with engine support from Mercedes. After a brief stint as theFord factory team in1995 and1996, the team operated as an independent constructor until being purchased byBMW in 2005.
AsBMW Sauber from 2006 to 2009, the team achieved its best results in Formula 1.Robert Kubica achieved the team's only F1 win to date at the2008 Canadian Grand Prix, and the team finished second in that year's World Constructors Championship. However, the team struggled to adapt to 2009's regulation changes and BMW announced its withdrawal mid-season due to theglobal financial crisis. After heavy speculation, BMW sold the team back to founder Peter Sauber for one euro.[8]
As an independent constructor from2010 to2025, the team runs with customerFerrari engines. After being acquired byFinn Rausing in 2016,[9] the team cancelled a deal to become theHonda works team and drew closer to Ferrari. From2018 onwards the team entered a title sponsorship agreement withAlfa Romeo, competing asAlfa Romeo Racing and later asAlfa Romeo F1 Team until2023.
In the penultimate season of its Alfa Romeo sponsorship deal, Sauber announced that 75% of the team would be acquired byAudi to become theAudi factory team in Formula One in2026.[10] This plan was revised in 2024 when Audi acquired 100% of the team, who later sold a minority stake to theQatar Investment Authority.[11][12] From 2026 onwards, all sporting and chassis operations will continue to be based inHinwil,Switzerland.[13] Engine manufacturing for the team will take place inNeuburg,Germany with a satellite technology facility inBicester,United Kingdom.[14][15]
In January 2025, Audi reported that it had completed the purchase of the team's parent company, Sauber Holding, for €600 million.[16]
.svg){kind=logo} | |
| Formerly | PP Sauber AG Red Bull Sauber AG BMW Sauber AG[17] |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Motor racing |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Founder | Peter Sauber |
| Headquarters | Hinwil,canton of Zürich, Switzerland |
Key people | Gernot Döllner (Chairman) Jonathan Wheatley (Team Principal) Mattia Binotto (CEO) Iñaki Rueda (Sporting Director) Rithvik Dhananjay Reddy (Head of Race Strategy) Beat Zehnder (Director of Signature Programs & Operations) |
| Owner | Audi AG (70%) QIA (30%)[18] |
Peter Sauber began buildingsports cars in his parent's garage inZurich in 1970.[19] His first car, theSauber C1, was powered by afour-cylinderCosworth engine and competed in local hillclimbing competitions.[20] The car's name was chosen to honor his wife Christiane, and all Sauber-built cars to date have featured a name starting with the letter C (including cars produced by BMW Sauber, which were retroactively named the C25 to C28 after the introduction of theC29). After debuting in Group C with theSauber SHS C6, the team began collaborating with Mercedes-Benz in1985 with theSauber C8. In1987, the team introduced the very successfulSauber C9. After a year of testing, Sauber became the Mercedesfactory team in1988 and competed asTeam Sauber Mercedes. With a roster of drivers includingMichael Schumacher,Karl Wendlinger,Heinz-Harald Frentzen,Jochen Mass,Jean-Louis Schlesser, andMauro Baldi, the team dominated the world championship in1989 and1990. The highlight of this period included two consecutive world championships and overall victory at the 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans with Mass,Manuel Reuter, andStanley Dickens.[21] As Group C regulations began to wane, the team struggled with the unsuccessfulC11 andC291. After Group C was outlawed, the Mercedes-Benz sports car partnership ended and the stillbornC292 never entered competition.
Outside ofprototypes, Sauber built aBMW M1 chassis for the1980 BMW M1 Procar Championship. The team raced withMarc Surer,Manfred Schurti, and Walter Nußbaumer, achieving three pole positions and one win in the series. In 1981 the team built two custom M1 chassis to comply withGroup 5 regulations, upgrading them substantially from their original Procar configurations. During the1981 World Sportscar Championship, driversNelson Piquet andHans-Joachim Stuck won theNürburgring 1000km for Sauber customer team GS Tuning.
The first 'turbo era' ofFormula One ended with the1988 season. The 1.5-litre turbocharged engines were phased out in favour of naturally aspirated 3.5-litre engines. Massive demand for engine suppliers and a constant influx of new teams saw car manufacturers likeSubaru,Porsche andLamborghini enter Formula One as engine suppliers and sometimes buying out existing teams. Other projects never progressed beyond design studies, such as one carried out bySimtek for BMW. It was a turbulent time that led to the withdrawal of many small teams and even more famous marques such asBrabham andLotus.
A plannedMercedes collaboration with Sauber to enter their own Formula One team was shelved, although Mercedes continued to fund Sauber's Formula One project. The team was to be powered by V10Ilmor engines in a chassis dubbed the C12, a continuation of Sauber's naming policy from sports car construction (the 'C' was a reference to Peter Sauber's wife Christine). It was to be driven byJJ Lehto andKarl Wendlinger.
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The car's racing debut took place in the first race of1993, in South Africa. The car was soon turning heads not only for its sharpFW14-like lines and striking black livery but its impressive performance, claiming fifth place (two points under the scoring system at the time) on its Grand Prix debut. Despite this impressive entrance to the Grand Prix scene, over the remainder of the season the team rarely saw the finish line due to unreliability and racing accidents. However, they proved their form was not a flash in the pan recording a slow stream of points finishes and rarely finishing outside the top ten when they actually completed a race distance. Despite not achieving a podium, they ended the season with twelve points, seventh out of the thirteen original entries.
The team went into the 1994 season as Sauber Mercedes, now officially Mercedes'sfactory-backed team with a new car in the Sauber C13 and the free of charge Ilmor engine rebadged the Mercedes 3.5 V10. New teamPacific Grand Prix Ltd took a customer supply of more dated Ilmor units. Between seasons Lehto had signed toMild Seven Benetton Ford. Former Sauber sports car driverHeinz-Harald Frentzen took up the role as Karl Wendlinger's teammate.
Early signs showed the team was, rather disappointingly, delivering similar performances to the previous year, scoring a small tally of points in the opening rounds. The season took a turn for the worse after a fourth place by Wendlinger following the tragic deaths ofAyrton Senna andRoland Ratzenberger at theSan Marino Grand Prix. Just two weeks later, Wendlinger was seriously injured after crashing in practice for theMonaco Grand Prix; losing control of his car under braking for the Nouvelle Chicane. He suffered serious head injuries which left him in a coma for weeks and he was sidelined for the rest of the season. He was replaced byAndrea de Cesaris and a returning Lehto who had been replaced at Benetton after injury complications.
The Wendlinger accident was a pivotal moment in Formula One history. Together with thedeath of Ayrton Senna, it later prompted the mandatory implementation of head protection for drivers in the form of high cockpit sides. Sauber voluntarily pioneered prototypes of these to protect their drivers.
They would finish the season with the same points tally as the previous year but finished only eighth out of the fourteen original entrants. Mercedes was dissatisfied with the progress and left the team at the end of the year, enticed by an offer from theMcLaren team which was still looking for a new works deal since Honda withdrew from the sport and an also-disappointing partnership with Peugeot (whose engines went toJordan). The partnership would see Team McLaren Mercedes take their first win in 1997 and both titles in 1998 but left Sauber to pick up the works Ford engine deal from Benetton.
The 1995 season and Sauber C14 marked the beginning of a ten-year sponsorship deal with energy drink giantRed Bull. EntrepreneurDietrich Mateschitz had purchased a majority share in the team andFritz Kaiser joined as commercial director.[22] They landed a factory supply of FordECA Zetec-R V8 engines fromBenetton. The 1995 season saw the return of Karl Wendlinger partnering Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Unfortunately, the Austrian's serious accident in 1994 seemed to have taken a lot out of his driving potential and he was replaced after two races by rookieJean-Christophe Boullion.
The season, for Frentzen at least, went surprisingly well. The team finished with a record eighteen points despite the underperforming Ford engine and Jean-Christophe Boullion, who was again dropped, allowing Wendlinger to make his final Formula One appearance. They also climbed back up to seventh in the Constructors' Championship.
1995 also sawPetronas become Sauber's presenting sponsor. They renewed their association in 2006, by which time the team had changed ownership.[23]
1996 saw Sauber's worst Formula One season in terms of points despite a promising driver line-up in Heinz-Harald Frentzen andJohnny Herbert, a revised C15 and the new V10Cosworth JD engine. Despite again holding seventh spot on a shrinking list of constructors, they only scored 11 points and had not impressed for much of the season. For the next season they announced a customer deal to receive Ferrari V10 engines while they worked with new sponsors Petronas to construct their own engines. Unfortunately, due toa major economic crash in Asia the engines were never completed.
Sauber used Ferrari designed customer engines (from 1997 to 2005) and gearboxes built bySauber Petronas Engineering, a company founded for the sole purpose of building these engines, that were nearly identical to the ones used by Ferrari as Sauber was relegated to being a customer team after four years as an independent works partner team. Sauber licensed nearly every legally licensable part from Ferrari and even had several Ferrari engineers on staff. Many[who?] pointed out suspicious similarities[example needed] between Ferrari and Sauber chassis, but no formal accusations were ever made (FIA rules required each team to design their own chassis).
In 2001, Sauber brought a virtually unknown and very inexperiencedKimi Räikkönen into Formula One, despite the protests of a few drivers and influential members of the FIA, includingMax Mosley, that he would pose a danger to other drivers. His performances that year, however, more than vindicated their decision (he would later go on to win the 2007 Drivers' Championship withFerrari). It also causedRed Bull to sell their majority share in the team toCredit Suisse in protest (Red Bull wantedEnrique Bernoldi to take the seat but he wound up atArrows). In 2004, Sauber spent a large sum of money on a newwind tunnel atHinwil, and a high performancesupercomputer (calledAlbert) to help refine the aerodynamics of their cars. The state-of-the-art infrastructure Sauber has built up is one aspect that attractedBMW Motorsport to Sauber.
In its later years, Sauber's links with Ferrari became weaker. They sided with the non-Ferrari teams over planned rule changes at the end of the 2004 season and also joined up with theGPWC. Then they decided to switch toMichelin tyres, while Ferrari continued to useBridgestone tyres. Meanwhile, beverage company Red Bull left Sauber in 2005 as they bought their own team,Red Bull Racing. Sauber had secured a deal with BMW for a supply of their engines from 2006, initially expected to be on a customer relationship but following BMW's decision to split from Williams at the end of 2005, BMW agreed to take ownership of the team from 1 January 2006, having bought Credit Suisse's shares in the team and thusRed Bull Racing took over Ferrari customer engine partnership. Sauber's final Grand Prix before BMW takeover was the2005 Chinese Grand Prix, with Massa, in his final race for the team having been promoted to Ferrari for the 2006 season, scoring a welcome sixth place to round off the team's history. Sauber had finished its independent run in F1 with six third places and two front-row starts being their best results. Among notable Sauber drivers wereJean Alesi, 2008 Drivers' Championship runner-upFelipe Massa,Johnny Herbert, and 1997 World ChampionJacques Villeneuve. Two former Sauber drivers drove for the newBMW Sauber team in 2006:Nick Heidfeld who was a Sauber driver from 2001 to 2003, and Villeneuve who drove for the team in 2005.
At the end of the2005 season, the team's majority shareholding previously owned byCredit Suisse was bought byBMW, with Peter Sauber retaining a 20% stake, and was renamedBMW Sauber. BMW sold its part back to Peter Sauber after the end of the2009 season, but the team formally used the nameBMW Sauber until the end of the2010 season. The team held aGerman licence from2006 to2009, then reverted to a Swiss licence in2010.[24]
For the2006 season the team re-signed Nick Heidfeld fromWilliams to be their lead driver (Heidfeld drove for Sauber in 2001–2003), while 1997 World ChampionJacques Villeneuve had his existing Sauber contract confirmed. PoleRobert Kubica was signed as the team'sthird driver. The team continued to use Sauber's facilities, mostly for chassis construction and wind tunnel testing, while BMW's headquarters in Munich were responsible for building the new P86 V8 engine.
Former Sauber title sponsorPetronas renewed their contract with the new team after BMW Sauber snubbedBP-Castrol, despite them being BMW's official commercial gasoline and motor oil partner.Credit Suisse also continued their sponsorship. For the new season BMW Sauber announced a technical partnership withIntel andO2, claiming that it will eventually lead to technological improvements available on BMW road cars.[25]
The new livery, unveiled in Valencia on 17 January 2006, was the traditionalBMW M blue and white with red flashes.
Jacques Villeneuve scored the team's first points with a seventh-place finish at the2006 Malaysian Grand Prix, after Heidfeld retired from fifth with an engine failure late in the race. Over the first two-thirds of the season the drivers picked up points with a succession of seventh- and eighth-place finishes.
The team ran a radical "twin towers" aero enhancement on the front of the car for the race in Magny-Cours, France, which was meant to direct airflow to the rear and thus improve performance.[26] This unconventional add-on was promptly banned by the FIA as it was adjudged to impede the drivers' vision and thus compromise safety.[27]
Heidfeld scored the team's first podium at the2006 Hungarian Grand Prix from tenth on the grid. Kubica stood in for Villeneuve, BMW stating that Villeneuve could not drive due to medical complications following his accident at theGerman Grand Prix. Kubica finished seventh, although he was later disqualified for an underweight car.[28] After the Hungarian Grand Prix, BMW announced that Kubica would complete the season for the Swiss team, spelling the end of former world champion Villeneuve's F1 career.[29]
Kubica scored BMW Sauber's second podium of the season at theItalian Grand Prix, after running in third place for most of the race and leading briefly during the first round of pit stops. Heidfeld struggled in the race and barely earned a point by finishing eighth. The team's fifth place in the Constructors' Championship was cemented by Heidfeld's two further points at the2006 Chinese Grand Prix, andToyota's early double retirement from the2006 Brazilian Grand Prix.
On 19 October 2006, it was announced that Robert Kubica would partner Nick Heidfeld for the2007 season with Sebastian Vettel taking the test and reserve driver role. On 21 December, it was announced thatTimo Glock had been signed as the team's second test driver.[30] The team launched their 2007 car, theF1.07, on 16 January 2007.[31]
The new car showed promising form throughout the winter testing, topping the times sheets on occasions. However, team principalMario Theissen declared some reliability concerns before the season's opening race inMelbourne. Kubica duly retired from fourth place mid-race withgearbox trouble, but Nick Heidfeld proved their pace in winter testing was no fluke as he raced to fourth place. Heidfeld continued this success with two more fourth places in Malaysia and Bahrain respectively. Kubica finished sixth in Bahrain after retiring in Australia and mechanical trouble in Malaysia.
Their performance thus far had been such that many were saying a race win was likely after firmly establishing themselves as the best team behind championship leadersFerrari andMcLaren. Although the perceived performance gap between the two leaders and BMW Sauber was a fair amount, it was still less than that between BMW Sauber and the teams behind them.[32]
TheCanadian Grand Prix brought mixed fortunes for the team. While Nick Heidfeld scored a second-place finish, Robert Kubica suffered a huge crash that resulted in a long safety car period. The media was initially told Kubica had broken his leg, but it later emerged that he had escaped with only a sprained ankle and concussion.[33]
Sebastian Vettel took his place in theUS Grand Prix, finishing in eighth place and therefore becoming the youngest driver to score a Formula One World Championship point. After theEuropean GP, however, it was announced byScuderia Toro Rosso that Vettel would take the second driver seat fromScott Speed.
On 21 August 2007, BMW confirmed its driver line-up of Heidfeld and Kubica for the2008 season.[34]Their 2008 car, theF1.08 was officially launched inMunich at BMW Welt on 14 January 2008. It made its track debut at Valencia the next day, with Robert Kubica driving.
The BMW Sauber team also introduced a new scheme for the team as a whole, with every individual getting "fit for pole",[35] from the boss to the cleaners, meaning that the team would be in optimum fitness for the 2008 season. Team principal Mario Theissen targeted the team's first Formula 1 victory for 2008.
BMW Sauber started the season well with Kubica narrowly missing out on pole after a mistake in his main qualifying lap inMelbourne. He later retired after being hit byKazuki Nakajima but Heidfeld finished second. Kubica took second inMalaysia, with Heidfeld in sixth setting the fastest lap of the race. The team's points total of 11 was their largest score up to that time. InBahrain, Kubica scored his and the team's first ever pole position, beatingFelipe Massa by just under three hundredths of a second. The team went on to finish third and fourth in the race, equalling their highest round points total and promoting them to first place in the Constructors' Championship for the first time.
The team also attained a second-place finish in theMonaco Grand Prix with Robert Kubica, beating both Ferraris and only trailing theMcLaren ofLewis Hamilton by three seconds.
BMW Sauber's first race victory came in the2008 Canadian Grand Prix, the team achieving a one-two finish with Robert Kubica's first race win and Nick Heidfeld taking second place. The victory came after Lewis Hamilton collided with Kimi Räikkönen in the pitlane, ending the race for both drivers. Kubica was on a different refuelling strategy from Heidfeld, who also briefly led the race before securing the one-two finish for BMW Sauber in comfortable fashion. This was the first Formula One victory for a BMW engine since the2004 Brazilian Grand Prix.
After the team's breakthrough win, development was switched to the 2009 season where new regulations come into play. This greatly annoyed Kubica, (who was leading the championship after the Canadian Grand Prix), as he felt they could have had a realistic chance of taking at least one title. The lack of development was reflected with a drop of form throughout the second half of the season, causing BMW to be outpaced by Renault, Toyota and even Toro Rosso (who started the season as one of the slowest teams) by the end of the season. Despite this, Kubica remained with an outside chance of taking the Drivers' Championship until theChinese Grand Prix, the 17th round out of 18.
In October 2008, the team confirmed that they would stick with Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld as their drivers for the2009 season.[36]
Although BMW Sauber targeted the2009 season as the year they would challenge for the title, their start to the season was a disappointment. Kubica was in third place in theopening round, when he collided with Vettel while battling for second place and was forced to retire. Heidfeld then secured the team's first podium of the year inMalaysia, but after six races BMW Sauber had collected a mere six points, and occupied eighth place in the Constructors' Championship out of ten teams. A raft of upgrades were set forTurkey, including an improvedregenerative braking system (KERS) and a double deck diffuser. While the new diffuser was implemented, the KERS could not be made to fit the new car and both drivers raced without the device. After the qualifying session for theBritish Grand Prix Mario Theissen announced that the team had decided to halt further development of KERS; of which BMW had been one of the strongest proponents, and focus instead on improving the car's aerodynamics. This left Ferrari and McLaren as the only remaining users of the KERS system. In theEuropean Grand Prix at Valencia, Kubica scored the team's first points since the race in Turkey.
Following a meeting of the BMW board on 28 July, the company held a press conference the following morning in which it confirmed the team's withdrawal from Formula One at the end of 2009. Chairman Dr.Norbert Reithofer described the decision as a strategic one.[37] TheFormula One Teams Association released a statement in response pledging its support to help the team remain in F1.[38]
On 15 September 2009, it was announced that BMW Sauber had secured a buyer,Qadbak Investments Limited which turned out to be ashell company. However,Lotus Racing had been given the 13th and final slot in the2010 season. The team were awarded what was termed a 14th entry, which hinged either on another team dropping out or all the other teams agreeing to allow 28 cars to enter the 2010 Championship.[39][40]
On 27 November 2009, it was announced thatPeter Sauber would repurchase the team conditional upon the team receiving a FIA entry for the 2010 season.[41]
On 3 December 2009, the FIA confirmed that Sauber had been granted the entry vacated byToyota Racing following their withdrawal[42] and would be using Ferrari engines.[43] Peter Sauber had previously announced, on 29 November, that the team's chassis for the 2010 season would be designated Sauber C29, while the Swiss newspaperBlick reported that the team will be calledTeam Sauber F1.[44] However, in January 2010, Peter Sauber had said that he had not yet applied for a change of name, so therefore they remained for the season asBMW Sauber F1 Team despite zero BMW components.[45]Kamui Kobayashi was announced as their first signed driver for the 2010 season on 17 December 2009.Pedro de la Rosa was signed as Sauber's second driver on 19 January 2010.[46]
Before theSingapore Grand Prix, it was announced that Nick Heidfeld would replace de la Rosa for the remaining five races of the season.Esteban Gutiérrez later joined the team as a reserve driver, and drove during young drivers' testing after the end of the season.
Despite promising pace in winter testing, the team struggled with technical problems in the early rounds of the season, with no points from the first six races. After running a blank livery for the first four races of the 2010 season, the team finally announced a sponsorship deal with theBurger King fast food franchise at theSpanish andEuropean Grands Prix.[47] During frustrations, Peter Sauber admitted that his decision to rescue the team had been emotionally driven, but insisted that it was proper.[48] Finally, inTurkey, Kobayashi finished tenth, collecting the team's first championship point for the season.
At theEuropean Grand Prix in Valencia, after qualifying in 18th place, Kobayashi spent a vast proportion of the race in third position defending fromJenson Button who was following closely behind in fourth. After entering the pits during the closing stages of the race to switch tyres, Kobayashi exited the pit in ninth. In the last few laps of the race, Kobayashi overtook theFerrari ofFernando Alonso and theToro Rosso ofSébastien Buemi for a seventh-place finish. The impressive drive from Kobayashi received much acclaim and was Sauber's best result of the season to-date. Pedro de la Rosa meanwhile, despite originally crossing the line in tenth position to secure 1 point, was relegated to 12th place after a penalty, stripping away a double points finish. Both drivers went on to score points at theJapanese Grand Prix andKorean Grand Prix.
The second half of the season gave more productive and consistent results; The drives of Kobayashi, Heidfeld and de la Rosa combined earned 44 points, giving the team eighth place in the Constructors' Championship. Kobayashi performed the team's season-best finish of sixth at theBritish Grand Prix.
Kobayashi was retained for2011; he was joined by teammateSergio Pérez and his compatriotEsteban Gutiérrez as reserve driver. The team debuted their 2011 car – theC30 – on 31 January,[49] with testing beginning the following day.
At the start of the season inAustralia, both Pérez and Kobayashi were later disqualified due to technical infringements. Pérez suffered a major collision at theMonaco Grand Prix, resulting in concussion and a sprained thigh.[50] Despite being passed fit for theCanadian Grand Prix, Pérez withdrew from the weekend after the first free practice session due to illness, he was replaced by 2010 Sauber driverPedro de la Rosa for the remainder of the weekend.[51]
For the remainder of the season, the team obtained regular top-10 finishes, and overall finished seventh in the Constructors' Championship.
On 28 July, it was announced that Kobayashi, Pérez and Gutiérrez would all remain in the Sauber setup for the 2012 season.[52]
Sauber started the2012 season with a double points-scoring finish – Kobayashi sixth and Pérez eighth – inAustralia, before Pérez finished second the following week, at theMalaysian Grand Prix; the team's best result as an independent team.[53] Kobayashi then started third at theChinese Grand Prix behind the two Mercedes cars ofNico Rosberg andMichael Schumacher; although Kobayashi finished the race in tenth position, he recorded the fastest lap of the race, his first in Formula One.
Prior to theSpanish Grand Prix, Sauber announced a sponsorship deal with EnglishPremier League teamChelsea.[54] After the race, in which Kobayashi equalled his career-best result of fifth, Peter Sauber announced that he had transferred ownership of a third of the team to CEOMonisha Kaltenborn.[55] Pérez achieved his second podium of the season at theCanadian Grand Prix with third place, while Kobayashi added a ninth place to help Sauber move up to sixth place in the Constructors' Championship.[56]
For theGerman Grand Prix, Sauber achieved their best result of the season. After starting in twelfth position, Kobayashi finished fifth, equalling his best result at the time, before a time penalty forSebastian Vettel pushed him up into fourth, giving him the best result of his career. Meanwhile, after starting down in 17th due to a penalty, Pérez managed to work a great tyre strategy and finished just behind Kobayashi – prior to Vettel's penalty – in sixth position, giving the team a total points haul of 20, their best since splitting with BMW, and giving them a 53-point advantage overWilliams for sixth in the Constructors' Championship.[57] At theBelgian Grand Prix, Kobayashi started second and Pérez fourth, the best grid positions in Sauber's history. At the start of the race,Romain Grosjean caused a spectacular crash taking himself, Pérez, championship leaderFernando Alonso andLewis Hamilton out of the race. Kobayashi's Sauber was also damaged and he finished the race in 13th place.
At theItalian Grand Prix, Sauber scored 20 points; Pérez used a one-stop strategy to move from twelfth on the grid to take his third podium of the season with second place, while Kobayashi finished in ninth place.[58] Kobayashi took his first podium finish and the team's fourth of the season at theJapanese Grand Prix; the following week, it was announced that Peter Sauber was stepping back from the daily management of his team, handing the role of team principal to Kaltenborn.[59]
On 23 November 2012, it was announced thatNico Hülkenberg,Esteban Gutiérrez andRobin Frijns would make up the team's line-up for the2013 season; Hülkenberg and Gutiérrez as part of the race team and Frijns as reserve driver.[60] The team's car for the season, theC32, was launched inHinwil on 2 February 2013.[61] The livery was changed and the car is now grey, similar to the Sauber cars in the early 1990s.[62] Despite a promising eighth place for Hülkenberg at the second round of the season, theMalaysian Grand Prix, it was clear soon that the C32 was far from the competitiveness shown by its predecessor, with Hülkenberg unable to obtain better than a tenth-place finish in subsequent races and rookie Gutiérrez having been unable to score as of theBelgian Grand Prix. Despite this, Hülkenberg caused a shock by putting his car third on the grid for theItalian Grand Prix, outqualifying both Ferraris in the process.[63]
On 15 July 2013,Sergey Sirotkin joined Sauber as a development driver as part of a tie-in with Russian investors with a view to promoting him to a race seat as early as2014.[64]
At theSingapore Grand Prix both Hülkenberg and Gutiérrez were in the points, running sixth and seventh respectively due to pitting under the safety car, but as their tyres went away Hülkenberg managed ninth place and Gutiérrez only 12th. Hülkenberg showed some impressive driving inKorea, finishing in fourth place and allowing Sauber to pass Toro Rosso in the standings. TheJapanese Grand Prix saw the team's first double points finish of the 2013 season with Hülkenberg sixth after running most of the race in fourth, and Gutiérrez seventh after an impressive battle with Nico Rosberg's Mercedes. Hülkenberg scored again in the last two rounds and Sauber finished seventh in the WCC with 57 points.
In February 2014,IndyCar Series driverSimona de Silvestro was signed by Sauber as an "affiliated driver", with the intent of racing in F1 by2015.[65] However, by the end of 2014, de Silvestro was no longer part of the team.[66] For the2014 season, Gutiérrez was retained and joined byAdrian Sutil, following Hülkenberg's decision to return toForce India. The team struggled throughout the season, often going out in the first round of qualifying and failing to score a single point for the first time in team history.
On 1 November 2014, it was announced thatMarcus Ericsson would drive for Sauber in2015.[67] On 5 November 2014,Felipe Nasr was announced as a Sauber driver to complete the 2015 line-up.[68]Ferrari Driver Academy memberRaffaele Marciello acted as reserve driver. The team also underwent a livery change in accordance to their new sponsorBanco do Brasil.[69][70]
The start of the season saw Sauber become involved in legal action commenced by their 2014 reserve driver,Giedo van der Garde. On 5 March 2015, van der Garde received a partial award underinternational arbitration by the Swiss Chambers' Arbitration Institution, upholding the driver's contract for a race seat in2015.[71] Sauber breached the contract when the team instead signedFelipe Nasr andMarcus Ericsson as announced in November 2014. Despite the Swiss arbitrator ordering Sauber to "refrain from taking any action the effect of which would be to deprive Mr. van der Garde of his entitlement to participate in the 2015 Formula One season as one of Sauber's two nominated race drivers", further legal action was required to see the award enforced.[72] Just prior to theAustralian Grand Prix held on 13 to 15 March 2015, van der Garde applied to an Australian court who ordered, at first instance on 11 March and on 12 March following Sauber's failed appeal, that he be permitted to race inMelbourne.[73] Due to the risk of having its assets seized for not obeying Court orders,[72] Sauber opted to abort participation in Friday morning's first practice session[74] pending an outcome incontempt of court proceedings against Sauber's team principal,Monisha Kaltenborn.[75]
Based on media speculation, however, thanks to an intervention byBernie Ecclestone to avoid further negative publicity on the sport,[76] Ericsson and Nasr were able to take part in Friday afternoon's second practice session.[77] The matter was temporarily resolved on Saturday, 14 March 2015, following an announcement by van der Garde that he would forego racing in Melbourne,[78] with a view to finding a more permanent solution in the future.[79] The Sauber team and its new drivers for 2015, Ericsson and Nasr, were thus able to complete the Saturday qualifying session and point-scoring race on the Sunday. Three days later, on 18 March 2015, van der Garde confirmed that he and Sauber had reached, by mutual consent, a settlement that would see him relinquish, once and for all, his rights to race in Formula One with the team in return for compensation in the amount of US$16 million.[76][80] The controversy, however, continued due to a statement released by van der Garde revealing further background and indicating that his intention had also been that of promoting the rights of racing drivers, whose contracts are often dishonoured. In response, the Sauber team expressed surprise at van der Garde's post-settlement statement opting to not comment further on the matter.[81]
After the resolution of the dispute, Sauber underwent an improvement from the previous year, finishing fifth in the race, their best result all year. They finished the season eighth, ahead of McLaren and Marussia.
On 23 July 2015, Sauber confirmed that Ericsson and Nasr would be retained for2016.[82]
On 20 July 2016 it was announced that Swiss based investment firm Longbow Finance had bought both Peter Sauber and Monisha Kaltenborn's shares in the company, which made Longbow Finance the sole owner of Sauber. Pascal Picci was announced to take Peter Sauber's role as chairman of the board and president. Monisha Kaltenborn remained as Team principal and CEO of Sauber. The acquisition by Longbow Finance followed a series of speculation about the future of Sauber. The team had been in financial trouble for years before the change of ownership, often being unable to pay salaries to team members on time.[9][83] Longbow's owners are said to include Swedish billionairesFinn Rausing,[84][85]Stefan Persson andKarl-Johan Persson.[85]
During the season, the team only scored points on one occasion; Felipe Nasr's ninth-placed finish in theBrazilian Grand Prix scored two points for the team, who finished tenth in the Constructors' Championship, one point ahead ofManor.[86]
On 11 November 2016, Sauber announced Ericsson would remain with the team in2017.[87] On 16 January 2017, the team announced the signing ofPascal Wehrlein, replacing Nasr.[88] After Wehrlein was injured in a crash at the2017 Race of Champions, Ferrari third driverAntonio Giovinazzi took his place for the first winter test.[89] Despite Wehrlein being fit to take part in theAustralian Grand Prix, he later withdrew after participating in the first two practice sessions, with Giovinazzi replacing him for the rest of the race weekend.[90] Giovinazzi again replaced Wehrlein for the following race inChina.[91] Days before the2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, it was confirmed that the first ever female F1 team principalMonisha Kaltenborn would be stepping down from the team. Her role was replaced by formerRenault team principalFrédéric Vasseur.
In April 2017, it was confirmed Sauber would end their engine deal with Ferrari and begin a new contract withHonda.[92] However, on 27 July 2017, it was announced that Sauber had cancelled their planned partnership with Honda for 2018 onwards for "strategic reasons".[93] The following day Sauber confirmed their new multi-year agreement with Ferrari for up-to-date engines starting in 2018.[94] On 29 November 2017, Sauber announced that they had signed a multi-year technical and commercial partnership contract withAlfa Romeo, therefore the team was renamed toAlfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team for the 2018 season onwards.[95]
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On 2 December 2017, it was announced thatCharles Leclerc andMarcus Ericsson would be racing for the team in 2018.[96]Tatiana Calderón was promoted to the role of test driver, having been a development driver for the team in 2017.[97]On 8 April at theBahrain Grand Prix, Ericsson placed ninth and picked up 2 points for the team using a one-stop strategy. Two races later, Leclerc finished sixth in theAzerbaijan Grand Prix which was the team's highest position since the2015 Australian Grand Prix. The race that followed inSpain saw Leclerc finish in tenth and score back to back points finishing results. It was the first time Sauber finished in the points in back to back races since2015. Over the course of the season, Sauber would finish in the points on 12 occasions and would get both cars in the points twice.
Sauber finished the season with a respectable 48 points, finishing in eighth position on the Constructors' Championship. Following the season's conclusion, Ericsson was not retained for the following season and Leclerc departed forScuderia Ferrari.[98]
In September 2018, Sauber confirmed thatKimi Räikkönen would be swapping places withCharles Leclerc for the2019 season.[99] Also announced in September 2018 was that Ericsson would stay with the team, but asthird driver andbrand ambassador.[100]Antonio Giovinazzi would replace Ericsson and drive alongside Räikkönen for the 2019 season.[101] On 1 February 2019, Sauber announced that it would compete in the 2019 season asAlfa Romeo Racing[102] although the ownership,Swiss racing licence,[103] and management structure would remain unchanged.[104] In addition to Alfa Romeo, sponsors for the season includedShell,[105]Singha,[106] Axitea,[107]Carrera,[108]Iveco,[109]Richard Mille,[108]Magneti Marelli,[110]Pirelli,Claro,[111] Adler-Pelzer,[110]Hewlett Packard Enterprise,Betsafe,[112]Little Mole,[109]Singapore Airlines,[109]Sparco,[113] and Huski Chocolate.[114]
The 2019 season was a good season for Alfa Romeo – they managed to score 57 points and finished eighth in the Constructors' Championship.[115] Räikkönen managed nine point finishes over the 2019 season, with four consecutive top-10 finishes in the first four races.[116] Giovinazzi only managed four point finishes over the season.
Highlight of the season for the team came inBrazil. After an action packed race, a collision betweenAlexander Albon andLewis Hamilton saw both Alfa Romeo's promoted into the top 5. Räikkönen finished P4 and Giovinazzi finished P5,[117][118] securing 22 points for the team and solidifying eighth in the Constructors' Championship.
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Räikkönen and Giovinazzi stayed on for the team after the 2019 season.[119] Ericsson decided to focus fully onIndyCar rather than being Alfa Romeo'sreserve driver.[120] Ericsson ensured that he will maintain links with Alfa Romeo and Sauber.[121] Alfa Romeo signedRobert Kubica to replace Ericsson after he was released byWilliams.[122] This also meant thatPKN Orlen would become the co-title sponsors of Alfa Romeo.[123][124]
After an investigation was launched against Ferrari'spower unit, theFIA reached an unknown agreement with Ferrari,Haas and Alfa Romeo.[125] The details of this agreement are unknown, but it was done to hinder the performance of the Ferrari power unit.[126]
The2020 season was not a good season for Alfa Romeo. While they did manage to retain eighth in the Constructors' Championship, they only managed to get eight points, 49 points below what they got in 2019. Throughout the season, Räikkönen managed only two point finishes, with Giovinazzi got three. Both drivers ended up with four points and ended in 16th and 17th in the drivers' standings respectively.
Alfa Romeo retained both Räikkönen and Giovinazzi with Kubica as the reserve driver for the2021 season. Ahead of theEmilia Romagna Grand Prix, Alfa Romeo confirmed thatCallum Ilott would become their test driver. The Ferrari power unit agreement with theFIA had finished, meaning the power unit should be back to normal use.
Alfa Romeo finished ninth in the Constructors' Championship with 13 points. Räikkönen scored 10 points by finishing in top 10 on four occasions, while Giovinazzi scored twice to collect the remaining three points. Räikkönen tested positive forCOVID-19 ahead of theDutch Grand Prix, forcing him to sit out of the event as well as theItalian Grand Prix a week later. Kubica stood in, finishing 15th and 14th respectively.
After Räikkönen announced his retirement and the team elected not to retain Giovinazzi, former Mercedes driverValtteri Bottas and rookieZhou Guanyu were signed for the2022 season. The team entered the season asAlfa Romeo F1 Team.[127] Bottas had a best result of fifth at Imola and finished 10th in the overall standings, whereas Zhou scored points in three races and ranked 18th in the drivers' standings.
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Sauber ended their relationship with Alfa Romeo at the end of2023 season after deciding not to renew the agreement.[128] The driver pairing of Bottas and Zhou were retained for the season. On 13 December 2022,Andreas Seidl was announced as Sauber's new chief executive officer from January 2023, replacing Frédéric Vasseur.[129] In January 2023, Alfa Romeo announced a multi-year title sponsorship agreement withonline casinoStake, renaming the team asAlfa Romeo F1 Team Stake.[130][131] The team also signed a partnership agreement with livestreaming platformKick,[132] which shares Stake co-founder and owner Eddie Craven as investors.[133] Kick's name and logo will replace Stake's in countries where gambling and sports betting advertisements are not allowed asAlfa Romeo F1 Team Kick.[134]
Sauber officially lost itsAlfa Romeo sponsorship due to transitioning toAudi Sport from 2026 onwards. Due to this, Sauber's links with Ferrari became weaker, with theHaas team effectively assuming Sauber's role asFerrari's new satellite team. While Zhou and Bottas stayed on for the2024 season,[135][136] Sauber entered the season asStake F1 Team Kick Sauber (but will go asStake F1 Team on a day-to-day basis), continuing the sponsorship deals signed by Alfa Romeo withStake andKick in the previous season. In countries where gambling advertisement is disallowed, the team presents asKick Sauber F1 Team, and replaced all Stake sponsors on their car with Kick logos, just as they had done in 2023.[137][138] Kick has also acquired the naming rights of the chassis for two seasons, with the 2024 car named asKick Sauber C44.[139]On 5 February the car launch event was held at London'sGuildhall which was hosted byNaomi Schiff.[140] The team finished the 2024 season in tenth place, scoring only four points.
Nico Hülkenberg returned to the team starting from2025, arriving fromHaas F1 Team.[141] Hülkenberg was joined by reigning Formula 2 ChampionGabriel Bortoleto, completing their lineup for 2025.[142]
Jonathan Wheatley was initially expected to join Sauber as the new Team Principal in the summer of 2025, replacing Team RepresentativeAlessandro Alunni Bravi.[143][144] On 15 January, Sauber announced that Team RepresentativeAlessandro Alunni Bravi would be leaving the team at the end of January.[145][146] Thus, this meant that Chief Operating and Technical OfficerMattia Binotto would serve as Team Principal temporarily until Wheatley's arrival. Subsequently, reports emerged on the same day that Wheatley's gardening leave would be ending earlier and he would begin his new role on 1st April, which would be in time for the Japanese Grand Prix.[147][148] On 12 March, Sauber officially confirmed that Wheatley will join the team from 1st April, which meant that he will be making his debut as Team Principal at the Japanese Grand Prix.[149][150]
In February 2025, it was announced that Sauber would be opening a new 'technical centre' in the United Kingdom by the summer, with Bicester, Silverstone, and Milton Keynes as potential locations. This was part of the move to allow Sauber to “extend the team’s presence and influence within the global Formula 1 landscape” as it will give them access “to the world’s largest motorsport expertise and talent pool.[151][152][153] Subsequently, Bicester was announced as the location which the 'technical centre' would be opened in, specifically Bicester Motion.[154][155]
At theBritish Grand Prix, Hülkenberg finished in third place to take his first ever podium in Formula One after 239 race starts, which was also Sauber's first since the2012 Japanese Grand Prix.
On 26 October 2022, it was announced that Sauber will compete as theAudi factory team from 2026, using Audi's power unit and thus ended a sixteen-year customer engine relationship withFerrari since2010 season.[156] In January 2023, Audi announced the acquisition of a minority stake in the Sauber Group.[157]
On 8 March 2024, the Audi Group confirmed a full takeover of Sauber. FormerMcLaren team principalAndreas Seidl was planned to continue as CEO, additionally taking over the role of team principal fromAlessandro Alunni Bravi.[158] However, he was replaced by former Ferrari team principalMattia Binotto starting from 1 August 2024.[159]
Additionally, Red Bull sporting directorJonathan Wheatley was expected to join in the summer of 2025, having left Red Bull at the end of 2024 and having planned to go on gardening leave in the start of 2025.[160] However, he joined earlier on 1 April 2025, following a deal struck for his earlier release to Sauber.
In November 2018, Sauber entered a partnership with Czech teamCharouz Racing System to form the Sauber Junior Team, followed by the creation of a karting team in March 2019.[161][162] In 2020, Sauber relaunched the junior team as Sauber Academy and parted ways with Charouz.[163][164]
Notes
The new identity was originally flagged in the FIA entry last month as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber. That remains its official full identity – including the Kick Sauber chassis name – but the Swiss outfit will use the short version on a day-to-day basis.
But it's now been confirmed that the 36-year-old will depart the American squad – and make his way to Sauber – at the end of the campaign.
47°18′31″N8°49′02″E / 47.3085163°N 8.8172027°E /47.3085163; 8.8172027
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