BMW-Sauber await word from the FIA

Friday 6th November 2009

The BMW-Sauber F1 team is awaiting word from the FIA regarding next year's Championship after Toyota withdrew from the sport.

Toyota announced on Wednesday that they were quitting Formula One with immediate effect, a move that may have opened up a 13th place on the grid.

However, as Toyota signed the new Concorde Agreement, which prior to their withdrawal BMW did not, it has yet to be established whether that 13th place will go to Toyota's new owners should the team find a buyer.

In the meantime, the BMW-Sauber team, and its now owners Qadbak, are left hanging.

"The Toyota management has reached a decision that is to be respected," a spokesman for BMW-Sauber told The Guardian.

"We will now discuss with the FIA the relevant consequences for the BMW Sauber F1 Team."

Your Comments

godoggo

"Once again, the FIA has the sport hanging. Mosley may be gone but the mess of his legacy has just begun. He should be banned from even watching F1 on TV. "

gaucho_kansas

"Given the difficulty BMW had finding buyers for their F1 team (they wanted more than Peter himself would offer, and then they missed the deadline), Toyota would seem to have an even tougher time selling their team off. I'll speculate that a Hinwil team is more likely to line up in 2010 than a Cologne team. Wouldn't it be funny if Peter Sauber bought the Toyota entry, and consolidated the support staffs with members willing to follow him to Germany? Might be a non-compete clause with Qadbak. Not a win-win, but not a lose-lose, either."

stormwarning

"My apologies for pedantism, fishlocust. In my (admittedly weak) defense the story was about Sauber! But now I see exactly what you were refering to regarding Toyota being bought. And thanks, geoff1, I forgot about the whole "registered until" thing."

fishlocust

"I was referring to Toyota, not Sauber, touch hung over today, sorry..

Peter Sauber wisely invested in both the wind tunnel and the Cray computer systems in Switzerland. The team has history and have proved themselves as capable of working as a smaller team in the past. That may be the case with Toyota, and I wish the employees there no disrespect, but I feel Sauber would be a better bet. Coupled with an engine supply for next year, and a new wealthy 'daddy' which was why I was suggesting that it's a no brainer.

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