Sauber F1 team secures future with takeover - SWI swissinfo.ch Sauber F1 team secures future with takeover The Sauber brand was created in the basement of a family home (Keystone) Switzerland’s sole Formula 1 team will continue racing after founder Peter Sauber and his partner agreed to sell their shares to the investment group Longbow Finance. The takeover ensures Sauber will race for a 25th year. Peter Sauber, 72, started his eponymous F1 team in 1993, having built racing cars under is own name since 1970. It has always been based in Hinwil, canton Zurich, where Sauber also built an innovative wind tunnel to test the aerodynamics of racing cars. In 2005 he sold the keys of his stable to BMW and then bought it back four years later. But the team has struggled financially in recently years after the withdrawal of key sponsors. On Wednesday it was announced that Sauber had sold his two thirds stake in his team to Longbow. Austrian national Monisha Kaltenborn sold her one third share to the investment company but retains her position as chief executive.

“I am very happy that the goal of my bold investment six years ago – to retain the Hinwil location and a Formula 1 starting position – has ultimately been proved correct,” Peter Sauber said in a statement. “As a Swiss company we are very pleased to secure the future of a Swiss firm in such a highly specialised and innovative industry,” stated Longbow chairman and chief executive Pascal Picci. In an interview with swissinfo.ch in 2005 , just before he sold to BMW, Sauber reflected on the journey that had taken him from his parent’s cellar designing his first car to the glamour of F1. “When I started it seemed like Mission Impossible. It was an interesting and thrilling challenge and I like to push myself to the limit,” he said 11 years ago. But despite his personal attachment to his team, he also said that there was “no space for romance in the business world”. On the track, the Sauber team has seen little joy in recent years, currently lying bottom of the constructor’s championship this season with a best placed finish of 12th. The team has enjoyed only one F1 win in its history, in Canada in 2008. swissinfo.ch with agencies More... Less...

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Reuse article Sauber F1 team secures future with takeover Jul 20, 2016 - 16:26 Switzerland’s sole Formula 1 team will continue racing after founder Peter Sauber and his partner agreed to sell their shares to the investment group Longbow Finance. The takeover ensures Sauber will race for a 25th year. Peter Sauber, 72, started his eponymous F1 team in 1993, having built racing cars under is own name since 1970. It has always been based in Hinwil, canton Zurich, where Sauber also built an innovative wind tunnel to test the aerodynamics of racing cars. In 2005 he sold the keys of his stable to BMW and then bought it back four years later. But the team has struggled financially in recently years after the withdrawal of key sponsors. On Wednesday it was announced that Sauber had sold his two thirds stake in his team to Longbow. Austrian national Monisha Kaltenborn sold her one third share to the investment company but retains her position as chief executive.

“I am very happy that the goal of my bold investment six years ago – to retain the Hinwil location and a Formula 1 starting position – has ultimately been proved correct,” Peter Sauber said in a statement. “As a Swiss company we are very pleased to secure the future of a Swiss firm in such a highly specialised and innovative industry,” stated Longbow chairman and chief executive Pascal Picci. In an interview with swissinfo.ch in 2005, just before he sold to BMW, Sauber reflected on the journey that had taken him from his parent’s cellar designing his first car to the glamour of F1. “When I started it seemed like Mission Impossible. It was an interesting and thrilling challenge and I like to push myself to the limit,” he said 11 years ago. But despite his personal attachment to his team, he also said that there was “no space for romance in the business world”. On the track, the Sauber team has seen little joy in recent years, currently lying bottom of the constructor’s championship this season with a best placed finish of 12th. The team has enjoyed only one F1 win in its history, in Canada in 2008.

× Monisha Kaltenborn becomes team principle at Sauber | Daily Mail Online comments Monisha Kaltenborn has become Formula One's first female team principal after taking over from Peter Sauber at his eponymous team. Kaltenborn, 41, already held the role of chief executive officer and will immediately take on the additional responsibilities at this weekend's Korean Grand Prix as 68-year-old Sauber takes a back seat. The move had appeared on the cards when Sauber transferred a third of the team's equity to Kaltenborn as a 'gift' at the end of 2011. Taking the reins: Kaltenborn will now head Sauber Sauber will remain in his role as president of the board of directors for all Sauber companies and remain responsible for the group's strategic direction. In a team statement, Sauber said: 'We decided a long time ago that Monisha would take over from me, but we left the timing open. 'Now is a good time for both of us, so this is the right moment to pass on the baton. After all, there have been a number of races I've been unable to attend - most recently the Japanese Grand Prix, where the team put in an excellent performance.

Over to you: Peter Sauber is taking a step back 'I'm in no doubt that Monisha has all the necessary skills to be an outstanding team principal, and I'm equally certain she will ensure that the values underpinning the company live on. That is very important to me.' Sauber, who first entered F1 in 1993, have enjoyed an encouraging campaign. The Swiss team lie sixth in the constructors' championship after scoring four podium finishes, the most recent at last weekend's Japanese Grand Prix through Kamui Kobayashi. Indian-born Kaltenborn, who holds Austrian citizenship, initially joined Sauber in 2000 to run their legal department but had moved up to the role of CEO in January 2010. She said: 'I have set my sights high and am committed to taking the team forward as Peter Sauber would want and leading it on to success.' Podium finish: Kobayashi came third in the recent race in his native Japan Sauber's salvation: the inside story - F1 - Autosport Plus Autosport Plus Sauber's salvation: the inside story Amid frenzied gossip over Sauber's financial state, the team always knew it had a solution in sight.

Dieter Rencken explains how Sauber's Russian alliance developed, and why it will transform the team Ben AndersonWilliams should be bold: Let Massa retire Can there have been a recent sight in the Formula 1 paddock more heart-wrenching than that of the dignified Peter Sauber (70 this October) admitting his eponymous team was experiencing difficulties in settling supplier invoices? This is the man who, forget not, dipped into his own pocket to save the team BMW had dumped so unceremoniously at the end of 2009, double-compounding its actions first with an aborted sale to the controversial Qadbak organisation, then failing to secure an entry for the following season - thus effectively rendering the operation valueless. Only intense behind-the-scenes lobbying by the trained electrician/former car salesman and his able lieutenant (and 33 per cent shareholder) Monisha Kaltenborn saved Sauber, and thus the livelihoods of 400 families living in the surrounds of rural Hinwil - almost 10 per cent of the town's population - their breadwinners employed by Sauber Motorsport AG.

Thus it is fair to state that after applying economic multipliers, around 30 per cent of the 1200-year-old town (population 10,000) would have been directly affected by Sauber's closure. Peter could well imagine the devastating effects on 'his' town, which had grown exponentially after he established his company there. Peter Sauber has kept his composure through four tough decades in motorsport © XPB This is the man, remember, who had been voted Swiss of the Year in 2005 after selling to BMW, the man who built a Le Mans- and grand prix-winning operation in the mountains beyond Zurich, in a country in which a total ban on motor racing has existed since 1955; the man who persuaded both Mercedes and BMW to subscribe to his vision, which included introducing Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez to motorsport's top echelon. This is the man who treats everyone in his orbit with absolute respect and humility despite his veritable record of success in an environment historically known as the "Piranha Club" and just this week officially dubbed a "Shark Pond" by a senior Mercedes spokesperson.

To survive in such a place for well over 20 years while unfailingly retaining one's dignity requires enormous reserves of inner strength. Finally, this is the man - whose surname, incidentally, translates as 'clean' - who, when things recently turned for the worse, again dipped into his own funds to ensure payroll obligations were met without fail, in stark contrast to the recent experiences of employees in other, ostensibly better-funded, operations. Yet, having ended 2012 in sixth place in the constructors' championship, just 16 points adrift of the mighty Mercedes (which nicked Petronas, the sponsor Sauber had nurtured for 15 years, in 2010), his team was unable to secure sufficient funding to mount a credible 2013 campaign. While rumours of a debt pile running to hundreds of millions are just that, there is little doubt Sauber has of late needed to turn to the banks to keep creditors sweet, with the hi-tech factory in Wildbachstrasse providing collateral. Now contrast that with 2005, when he sold the team to BMW: it was totally debt-free.

There are those, though, who point to Sauber's woeful overall 2013 performance as root cause, but they fail to understand that the trickle-down effects of such shortcomings are not immediately evident, for revenues are paid out 12 months in arrears. Thus its present share of the 'Bernie Money' pot was accrued during 2012 - with any current performance shortfalls only financially manifesting themselves next season. Sauber's cars have visibly lacked sponsorship in recent years © XPB However, operating a racing team out of Switzerland is fraught with logistical, commercial and technical obstacles, with the country's ultra-strong franc (recently pegged artificially low against the euro to protect Swiss industry, but still frightfully over-valued) compounding issues. Still, there have to be upsides, such as access to many home-grown companies operating on the global stage. Think: Swiss clockwork, Swiss chocolates, Swiss banking, just for starters.

True, all three product groups are represented in F1, with Rolex and United Bank of Switzerland being major F1 branding partners of FOM, and Peter Brabeck-Letmathe simultaneously acting as chairman of both Nestle, the Swiss-based nutritional and consumer giant, and the Formula One Group. Rolex and UBS annually contribute an estimated $100m a year to FOG's coffers, of which Sauber is fortunate to sniff $6m, spread over 10 equal instalments 12 months in arrears. FOG trousers $40m of that upfront... The reason these brands chose to go with 'bridge and board' deals rather than bedeck a team in their livery is simple: through its in-house production unit and vertical integration, FOM is able to guarantee partners worldwide exposure while simultaneously holding sway over broadcasts. For proof, consider how cameras appear to linger longer on billboards or logo-littered corners, then reflect on last year's contentious Bahrain Grand Prix, which saw Force India withdraw from Friday's FP2 session over security concerns - and pay the price of annoying the powers-that-be through omission from qualifying footage despite making it to Q3.

This power endows enormous negotiating leverage on FOM, leaving already cash-strapped teams extremely vulnerable. One sponsor-hunter recently shared how he guaranteed a prospect 'bridge and board' exposure when said party expressed the option of going with a team: "Simple: I committed to X minutes of flighting during the season, then suggested he request similar guarantees from the team," the agent said, "and of course it was no contest." Result: brand on board, but on bridges and billboards, not bargeboards... Thus, next time a bare Sauber speeds past Rolex or UBS signage reflect on this anecdote; next time you see a Nestle choco bar question why the world's largest food/consumer brand by revenues is not visible in F1 despite a common chairman... Sauber won Le Mans with Mercedes in 1989 © LAT Back, though, to Sauber: through all the pain of facing an uncertain future, Peter Sauber kept doing what he does best - seek partners - while Kaltenborn kept a steady hand on the tiller at base and races. Maintaining motivation amid rumours was not easy; somehow Peter knew he would find a way.

As he told this column back in May 2010 after saving Sauber Motorsport from extinction: "I always found a solution. I was in Formula 1 for 17 years; in sportscars for 10. The company is 40 years old this year." Early this year a broker raised the possibility of a commercial and technical partnership with a Russian conglomerate. Peter and Monisha, a jurist with international law experience, poured heart and soul into the project, and by Bahrain it was clear from the smiles on their faces that progress had been made. Still, dealing with Russian bureaucracy is an excruciatingly slow process, one littered with pitfalls - and occasional frustrations manifested themselves. However, they kept faith; crucially, the workforce did, too. Thus the duo shuttled back and forth between Zurich Airport and Moscow, each visit adding another row of building blocks. What they sought to costruct was not a traditional sponsor/team relationship, but a mature version of the Petronas deal Peter had engineered back in 1997 - one that proved highly successful for all parties, yet has still not been replicated in the paddock.

Sauber's Petronas deal had multiple benefits © LAT At the core of the concept lies a strong technical partnership, one layered with commercial benefits provided by three distinctly different streams: pure sponsorship revenue (crucial to clear debts and fulfil existing commitments); monetising of shared technologies; and incremental revenues ('Bernie money') derived from improved performance facilitated by the technical partnership. A young driver able to be 'grown' in the mould of a Raikkonen, Massa and Perez would be a considerable bonus - except this time the team aims to retain him - as would a talent exchange programme similar to that which provided so many benefits for the Malaysian state-owned petro-chemical giant and the team through rotating scores of Swiss/Malaysian engineers. Crucially, the team's shareholding was not to be diluted. The three-week gap between Bahrain and Spain provided welcome respite from the media, but when F1 decamped in Barcelona the bombardment resumed. Yet they smiled broadly despite Sauber suffering the effects of a slipped disc, incurred while DIYing in his home garage. Kaltenborn on the Thursday evening confided to a select few that she had that day attended meetings in three different time zones.

That they had been to Russia became public later that weekend; then, of course, rumour-mongering started in earnest. With the team having a branding exchange with Chelsea Football Club, the media added CFC owner Roman Abramovich and Sauber, and came up with three. After that concept failed to fly, all sorts of permutation were chucked about: Rotenberg brothers Arkady and Boris of SMP bank fame and suppliers to state-owned energy conglomerate Gazprom; Asian car companies, including no-name brands... Suggestions that Hulkenberg was owed wages stoked the rumours © LAT Virtually every Russian driver to have graced a grid - bar a certain 17-year-old - was linked to the team, with sources vowing they had seen grand prix podium finisher Vitaly Petrov in Hinwil immediately after Silverstone. On the one hand the team's owners were besieged by accusations that the squad was a finger-push from bankruptcy; on the other they knew there was a glow at the end of the tunnel. Pessimists then suggested said light was a train speeding towards Sauber...

In Germany stories did the rounds that Nico Hulkenberg had not been paid his retainer for two months and that the German's management had given notice on his contract, with the criticism reaching a crescendo after the race. An absent Peter Sauber simply could not fathom the level of vitriol aimed at the team he had founded, then personally saved - and was continuing to save: "Companies in Switzerland go bankrupt, and no one says a word; I ensure all our 300 workers get paid, and get criticised..." Can the team be blamed for suspecting that unknown agendas were at play; that the entire campaign was orchestrated? Still, exactly a week after the flag fell on that grand prix - in which Hulkenberg finished 10th - all was in place. Draft media releases shuttled back and forth; i's were dotted and t's crossed - and at 0930 CET on Monday official statements were fired off to the media in German and English. Simultaneously a press conference was called in Moscow - then all hell broke loose.

Business journalists who would not recognise the difference between Moscow and My Cow in Cyrillic professed to know all about the three entities in the venture: Investment Corporation International Fund, the State Fund of Development of North-West Russian Federation and the National Institute of Aviation Technologies. The deal will fast-track talented Russian teenager Sergey Sirotkin towards F1 Did they know that the State Fund of Development of North-West Russian Federation was headquartered in Saint Petersburg, President Putin's home town? Did they know that NIAT co-operated on Antonov and MIG aircraft design? That ICI Fund operates offices in (tellingly) Zurich and Barcelona? Had they heard of 17-year-old racer Sergey Sirotkin, an integral part of the deal and whose father Oleg heads up NIAT? No on all four counts - but of course said Russian specialists knew these to be front companies. For? Silence... One man not in the loop but certainly in the know was F1 tsar Bernie Ecclestone, who said Putin was extremely supportive of the deal - having, Ecclestone said, discussed the matter with him during three of their recent meetings. When Putin whispers 'jump', those about him immediately become champion pole vaulters...

How big, then, is the overall deal? Certainly large enough to clear the team's immediate debts and then some, with longer-term revenue streams on the horizon. The technical partnership means Sauber, which has arguably the best windtunnel in F1, stands at the vanguard of 2014 aerodynamic and composite development, while the deal's structure means the team can turn its back on F1's Resource Restriction Agreement. Ever tried auditing Russian companies? The team will eventually be rebranded, but final livery is dependent upon which brands and companies receive the official nod. Sauber will promote Russia's 2014 grand prix, while a later switch of venue to Putin's hometown cannot be ruled out. The brands publicised could as easily be Aeroflot as Gazprom or Megafon. All in, it's win, win, win and win. In 1997, after Peter Sauber persuaded Ferrari to supply his team with engines, he was asked how he managed a feat long considered by most as impossible. Grinning shyly, the Swiss said simply: "I asked them." How did he manage to get three Russian parastatals on board at a critical point in his team's history?

The reply is equally succinct: he asked... To continue reading this feature, subscribe to Autosport Plus today. Get back on track. Subscribe today for unlimited access to all Autosport news and features. Why Sauber’s saviour is critical to Formula One | The Roar Why Sauber’s saviour is critical to Formula One Submit to Reddit Just as the middle of the Formula One season is often characterised by talk of driver swaps and signings, so too do rumours of team viability begin to surface. ‘Will X make it to the end of the season? Can Y pay back its investors? What is Quantum Motorsport, anyway? Why is a watch sponsoring an engine?’ All fascinating questions to occupy minds during the European summer adjournment. But in 2016 the story is far more positive, because after six months (and more) of speculation that Sauber, one of Formula One’s iconic independent teams, was teetering on the brink of collapse, news of its salvation has arrived ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “The Sauber Group is pleased to announce the change of its ownership,” Sauber’s press release triumphantly proclaimed.

“Following the signing of the acquisition agreement with the current shareholders, Longbow Finance SA will fully acquire Sauber Holding AG, which is the ultimate holding company of the Sauber Group.” The name ‘Longbow Finance’ isn’t one that fills the heart with confidence — presumably it beat ‘Fingerscrossed Investment’ and ‘Whatstheworstthatcouldhappen Lending’ to the punch — but the stated intention of the company is to stabilise the team by exploiting its capacity to do business outside F1 using its technical expertise. It’s a similar model employed to great effect by Williams, which is a diversified engineering and technology business rather than a simple Formula One team. It suggests this is more than a mere vanity purchase, as is always the risk in Formula One. Moreover, Longbow has bought the team in its entirety, which means Peter Sauber, the squad’s eponymous founder, is out.

“I am very happy that my courageous investment to buy the team back, which I made six years ago, with the intention to secure the base in Hinwil and the place in Formula One has proved to be correct,” he said, referring to his final-hour saving of the team when then major shareholder BMW withdrew from the sport at the end of 2009. By this point you’re perhaps wondering why 300 precious words in The Roar’s motorsport section have been spent to describe the team currently last in the constructors standings with exactly zero points to its name. The answer is simple: Sauber is absolutely critical to the health of Formula One. Formula One might earn its glitz and glamour through the involvement of the big manufacturers — Nico Rosberg determinedly growling, “I’ll find you” in Mercedes commercials is all well and good — and its dotting of the globe with racing circuits lends it a worldly air, but the independent teams are the lifeblood of the sport. Sauber, Williams, Force India, Manor — Haas too, once it has had time to establish itself— are the core of Formula One.

While the most cost effective way to compete, as Sauber will now attempt to do, is be more than a Formula One team, motorsport remains at the core of what makes these squads tick. Before Mercedes rocked up, while Renault toyed with the idea of leaving the sport altogether, and at the conclusion of the manufacturer era triggered by the global financial crisis, these teams in one guise or another have stood fast and committed unconditionally to the sport. Sauber epitomises the independent ethos. Its factory is outside Zurich, nowhere near any other team and outside the European Economic Area, making the task of competing for personnel and resources far more difficult than for its rivals, all of which are based in the European Union and most of which within close proximity of each other in England. From its humble 1970s hill climb origins through to present day, the team that Peter Sauber built has persisted against the tide, and it has done so always with great dignity. Few, if any, in the Formula One world of politics and egos would have a bad word to say about the Swiss squad — Sauber is motorsport, with emphasis on the sport. The Sauber F1 team makes a crucial contribution to the sport.

Its potential collapse — perhaps inevitable at the end of the season were a buyer not found — would have undermined the fabric of the sport. Perhaps worse, it would have been an indictment on an entity the size of F1 for being unable to support a team so devoted to the competition. Such a scenario should be unacceptable to the sport as a whole. Sauber is at the heart of Formula One, and Longbow Finance’s investment keeps the sport’s pulse ticking for a little longer.

Oldest | Newest | Most Recent 40 years of Sauber Motorsport: A Brief History - 24 Hours of Le Mans, Formula 1 - The Checkered Flag 40 years of Sauber Motorsport: A Brief History SHARE ON: David Bean — July 28, 2010 Eagle-eyed viewers of last weekend’s German Grand Prix will have spotted – between shots of an unhappy Felipe Massa, an uncomfortable Fernando Alonso, and Stefano Domenicali trying to plead innocence – that the cars of Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi bore inscriptions celebrating 40-years of Sauber motorsport At a grand prix weekend that will long be remembered for those Ferrari team orders, Sauber marked an impressive milestone in their history – one that started in Switzerland with the young Peter Sauber. Sauber’s father owned an electrical engineering company, employing around 200 people, with premises in Zurich and Hinwil. Peter qualified as an electrician and looked set to follow in his father’s footsteps, until in 1967 a friend persuaded him to tune the engine of the VW Beetle that he drove to work everyday.

After entering this souped-up motor in a handful of club races, Sauber’s interest in tinkering with cars was born. The modification work on the Beetle reached a point where the car was no longer road legal. Then, in 1970, he set himself up as an independent maker of open two-seater sports cars. The Sauber C1 was designed in the cellar of his parents’ house in Zurich. The “C” in the model name was the first letter of his wife Christiane’s name – a designation still used today for the C29 driven by Kobayashi and de la Rosa. Later that year he moved to a specially build workshop on this father’s company’s site in Wildbachstrasse, Hinwil and won the Swiss sports car championship with the C1. Peter Sauber was soon limiting the number of appearances he made in the cockpit of his cars, preferring instead to design rather than race. In 1974 he hung up his helmet. Switzerland is not very tolerant towards motor racing, and would not be first choice of someone attempting to set up a business which built and raced sports cars.

However, the didn’t stop Sauber for persevering: “If we'd looked into the economic wisdom of building and selling racing sports cars in Switzerland, there's no way it would have made sense,” said Sauber, reflecting on his decision 40 years ago. “But luckily the sensible approach doesn't always win the day!” Money was tight for the team, but with the C5, which Herbert MÃ¼ller drove to victory in the then prestigious Interserie championship in 1976, Sauber Motorsport received international recognition. This was followed by the team’s first attempt at Le Mans, when they employed just four people. Peter Sauber reveals that in there were moments, especially in the early stages, when he was tempted to just give up. “There were a lot of those [moments]!”, he said. “The first ten years were especially difficult, as we weren't just lacking the financial resources but also the people we needed. We were pushing our limits physically as well. There were many occasions when we worked late into the night. “The Le Mans 24-hour race was particularly gruelling; with all the preparations for the race, you barely slept for a week.

If you then had to watch the cars drop out mid-way through the race, it would finish you off both physically and mentally. “More than once I called my wife from Le Mans and said to her: That's it, I've had enough now.” However, Sauber stuck at it, and in 1981 Hans-Joachim Stuck and Nelson Piquet drove aSauber-built Group 5 BMW M1 to victory in the 1,000-kilometre race at the NÃ¼rburgring. The following year he was commissioned by Swiss company Seger & Hoffman to build a car for the World Sports Car Championship – the Sauber C6. During this period contact was made with Mercedes engineers who were interested in motorsport at a time when the it was a taboo subject at the Suttgart-based company following the 1955 Le Mans accident. Sauber powered his cars with Mercedes engines from 1985 and after a number of triumphs Mercedes were persuaded to return to international motorsport.

From 1988 Sauber were Mercedes official works teams, and in 1989 they achieved a one-two in the Le Mans 24-hour race and both the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ titles in the World Sports Car Championship – a feat repeated the following year. By this points Sauber Motorsport had some 50 employees. In summer of 1991 Mercedes turned its sights towards Formula 1, and began a joint project with Sauber. A new factory was build at Hinwil before an economic downturn forced the German motor company to reconsider. This left Sauber with a choice: pocket the settlement from Mercedes, or go it alone at the pinnacle of motor racing. Of course, Sauber entered F1. On 14th March 1993, two Sauber C12 cars – driven by Karl Wendlinger and JJ Lehto- where on the grid at Kyalami for the South African Grand Prix. Lehto went on to take fifth place, earning the team two points in its debut outing. By 1995, contracts with Red Bull and Petronas had allowed the team to become an established name in F1 and the team grew in strength.

In the 2001 season they were placed fourth in the constructors’ championship. Sauber also helped introduce some household names into F1. He gave Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa their first drives in the sport, and recommended Robert Kubica to BMW. Then on 22nd June 2005, Sauber handed control of his team to BMW. Thanks to McLaren’s expulsion from the championship in 2007, the record books will shows that BMW Sauber came runners up to Ferrari in that year. By 2008 the workforce had grown to over 400, and at Canada that year Robert Kubica led Nick Heidfeld to a one-two finish – BMW Sauber first, and so far only, win in Formula 1. The team finished the season third in the Constructors’ standings. However, 2009 started badly for the team, and on 29th July BMW announced that they would be leaving Formula 1 at the end of the season.

Peter Sauber agreed to take control of the team back from BMW, arranged a supply of engines from Ferrari, and recruited Kamui Kobayashi and Pedro de la Rosa as drivers – 40 years on from that cellar in Zurich. Of those forty years, what are the high points for the eponymous Sauber owner? “In the 'old days' I would certainly say winning the Manufacturers' and Drivers' titles in the World Sports Car Championship in 1989 and the one-two in the Le Mans 24 Hours,” said Sauber. “More recently, the highlight would have to be Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld's one-two in the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.” Peter Sauber also singles out two accidents which count as the low points of those four decades: “The serious accident suffered by Karl Wendlinger in Monaco in 1994, which left him in a coma for 19 days, and Robert Kubica's horrific crash in Montreal in 2007. In the end, both accidents had a happy ending. Robert is still competing in Formula One, of course, and Karl continues to race GT sports cars.

I'm very thankful that they are able to do so.” As Sauber Motorsport enters its fifth decade in Hungary this weekend, Peter Sauber had reasonably modest ambitions for his team. “I'd like to lead the team back into a secure position and establish it at a good level from a racing point of view,” he said. “If I can manage that, it will be a case of mission accomplished for me.” 40 years of Sauber Motorsport: A Brief History was last modified: January 28th, 2015 Peter Windsor on the Situation at Sauber & Haas : formula1 Link to Full Video For those short on time, here's the excerpt about Sauber As for Sauber, there's a general comment to be made. Formula 1 is much too expensive for what it can offer [to] the potential sport sponsorship market place. Better men than I, Zak Brown being a good example, have made that point already . If you're putting Formula One out on the market, alongside many of the other sports that are now heavily televised globally, then Formula One is too expensive.

Remember it wasn't that long ago that Peter Sauber decided to "cash in" as Frank Williams put it at the time, to sell to BMW, take a large cash payment for his Formula One team, and for BMW to take over that team. Now again, this must be seen in the context that Frank had the option to sell Williams to BMW before Peter Sauber did, and Frank chose not to do that, because he wanted to keep the integrity of the team. He wanted to keep his ownership of the team, which he still has, and the team still is basically Williams and would still, of course, like a lot more money and better facilities obviously, but is still charging hard. Unlike Sauber, which has never recovered from Peter Sauber selling out. So, if you want to look at the history of that team, and why they're in the situation they are in now, you have to go back to the day that Peter Sauber decided to cash in.

How much of that cash he's since put back into the team; I've no idea, it doesn't appear to be a lot, they appear to be trying to survive on general sponsorship and other deals - rent-a-drivers obviously - which is demeaning to Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson, both of whom are quick racing drivers in their own right, and have done well to raise sponsorship and backing in their two respective countries, Brazil and Sweden. And even with that sort of money, it's astonishing to me that Sauber have not been able to make ends meet and are in the trouble they're in.. Force India have been in a lot of financial straits in the last three or four years, but they have been very good at tightening the belt and doing things on an absolute shoe-string behind the scenes, more than we would ever guess just looking at the team int he paddock area, which I don't think Sauber have been able to do so, partly because Switzerland isn't the world's greatest country to be in, running a Formula 1 team: beyond that designing and building a Formula One car, it's expensive, very expensive, and if Ferrari take it over it'll be interesting to see if they do keep it in Switzerland.

They probably will, because of the proximity to Italy, but in a perfect world you wouldn't want to have a Formula One team based in Switzerland. If you were a potential English punter trying to buy Sauber you'd be thinking very hard about moving the whole thing over to Oxfordshire. Speaking of sponsorship, later in the video, he expresses astonishment that Haas, despite two years of being in business before competing, raised so little sponsorship before competing in F1. Sauber saved by Swiss investment company : formula1 (0 children) Gutted about this. Can't help but think if he had retained more control they wouldn't be in this mess. Doubtful. They were really in a tougth place when BMW ditched them and unlike say Brawn they can't hire there way up as easily being based in Switzerland rather then in an area where loads of teams from F1 down and all suppliers are based. Kaltenborn owned a third of the team and Sauber the rest so it wasn't like she did not have an interest in seeing it succeed. Either way it is great news and at the mechanics will get chairs!

Also I wonder if they might look at thier driver line up now, they were dependent on the drivers sponsors just to make payroll. Plus they had to fight a legal battle at the start of the 2015 season around drivers that cost $16 million (which is closeish to what the tenth placed team gets in points money). I just hope this is a long term deal and not like what Jordan went through as Midland/Spyker before Force India bought stability. (5 children) You're betraying your own ignorance when you call her "the team's ex-head of legal". Monisha has been on the pitwall for that team since before the BMW buy-out. Very few people have that much knowledge, or that much experience of running an F1 team at the top level. I don't begrudge her doing what she did with the drivers any more than I begrudge Graeme Lowden doing the exact same thing to Timo Glock the year before, since both did it to keep the teams afloat. The difference is Monisha stopped her team going bankrupt. She's made two major mistakes in my view.

The first was not negotiating a better deal from Ferrari for Sauber's support in dismantling FOTA (they both walked away at the same time) and paving the way for the strategy group. This established the current system where five smallish teams, including Sauber, are excluded from the "bonus" payout system, get a tiny share of the prize pot, and have just one vote between them in the strategy group. The rumour is Ferrari promised them a free engine deal in exchange for running a driver, but when that driver, Jules Bianchi, had his accident, Ferrari walked away from the deal, triggering their crisis. Now Haas is the Ferrari B-team, ending roughly 20 years of Ferrari-Sauber cooperation. This might not be a Sauber issue of course, it could reflect the turmoil in Ferrari itself. The second mistake was not looking at what McLaren and Williams have done, and setting up a commercial operation to make money from their engineering prowess. This has definitely helped those two teams with their cashflow over the years. It's good to hear they're going to start now, but they should have started ten years ago. From Joe Saward There is very little known about Longbow Finance SA or who it may represent.

It has been making investments for 20 years. It is a joint stock company, which manages the money of others, investing in shares, securities, real estate and other activities Additionally /u/Moctecus mentioned that [the] Chairman of the board of directors is Raymond J. Bär ( link to his CV in German ), great grandson of the Julius Bär Group founder. You might now Julius Bär from their role as "Global Partner" in Formula E They also mentioned that according to Blick again Tetra Laval, a Swedish owned company headquartered in Switzerland with links to Marcus Ericsson is also an investor in Longbow. Formula 1 Team History Formula 1 Team History In this spin-off blog I'll be examining the history of each Formula 1 team by retracing their past entry's in Formula 1. You may be surprised to find out what certain teams used to be! There will be a new entry each week so watch this space! To keep up to date with current goings on in Formula 1, check out my main blog: Follow Me On Twitter: @Houston60 Pages Red Bull Welcome back to the final instalment of my Team History section.

I sincerely hope you've enjoyed reading about the teams just as much as I have writing them, I also hope you discovered something you didn't know and that your Formula 1 knowledge is boosted! As I draw this to a close it's important to state that after a long winter, we have finally come to the start of the 2013 season! Engines will start in Melbourne very soon and I pray we have an exciting season just like last year. My blog this week is about the current stars of the F1 paddock and depending on your cynicism and naivety, this success can either be attributed to one individual or another. Never shared. But as most F1 stories, success did not happen overnight, where did it all begin for Dietrich Mateschitz Red Bull team? STEWART GRAND PRIX Constructors Championships: 0 Drivers Championships: 0 The Red Bull success story starts with a father-son business in the form of three time world champion Sir Jackie Stewart and his son Paul.

The early form of the team was poor but in a rain effected Monaco Grand Prix, Rubens Barrichello managed a second place finish, but this proved to be a success from the elements as the feat was not achieved again until their final season when Barrichello took them to another three podiums. For a short lived and small team, they can boast a one race win from the European Grand Prix when Johnny Herbert after he inherited the win following multiple race incidents. JAGUAR RACING Constructors Championships: 0 Drivers Championships: 0 Stewart's engine supplier Ford bought the team off the father-son duo and renamed the team after the British sports car manufacturer, a move which boosted Jaguar's sales and popularity. Even though they scored more points, Jaguar never achieved that race win, and they certainly had the talent to do it with Eddie Irvine and Johnny Herbert driving for them. Current Ferrari test driver Pedro de la Rosa had a race role with the team, achieving point finishes. This would also mark the first time when Mark Webber would join what would become his current team.

INFINITI RED BULL RACING Constructors Championships: 3 Drivers Championships: 3 The current crop of glory boys first joined F1 in 2005, and unlike most debuting teams they scored a double points finish. Fan favourite David Coulthard was the lead driver right up until his retirement which saw him paired up with Mark Webber for a few seasons. The Milton-Keynes team was headed by Christian Horner since Red Bull re-branded Jaguar and was key to organising the early success, but the next two points are the debate about where the true success and glory comes from. F1 genius Adrian Newey joined the team in 2006, the year which coincidently saw them grab their first podiums. It wasn't long until the momentum started picking up. Podiums became race wins, race wins accumulated to runners up in 2009, then 2010 saw them complete the double, a trend which has continued right up until the season gone by. RB9 The next point is about to cause a whole load of controversy but I'm never one to shy away from the truth.

2009 saw the first race win, thanks to Sebastian Vettel the man who has since dominated the sport. Why has he dominated? Be under no illusion, it's not all down to him. Puppet boy is only doing a job whereby you need to be able to handle a Formula 1 car. If you were to strip away any advantage and give a stock car to him and any other driver, I guarantee you you'll see just how average Vettel is. Why the disdain for Seb? I hated his dominance in 2011. People would retaliate with "Schumacher done the same." Well my reply to you sir/madam: "Schumacher was not a hateful little git despite what you may think." The seven time world champion did also not throw his toys out of the pram like our current world champion. No matter what you think, Red Bull are a quick team, and something tells me their dominance is about to continue. But I cannot bring myself to accept the fact that puppet boy will fluke another four championships to bring himself level to Schumi, or even beat him. That would be disastrous for my love for the sport.

This season, they have a lot more resistance and I don't he can make it to four. I'd like to thank you for reading my team history blog. The season is just about to get under-way and I will be providing the utmost coverage for you for every single round. All you have to do is click the links below and follow me on Twitter for the best coverage that I can provide. To keep up with my views on the current and breaking news of Formula 1, click here . Follow Me On Twitter: @Houston60 Constructors Championships: 1 Drivers Championships: 3 In absolutely no relation to the team already mentioned, Tyrrell was a team set up by Ken Tyrrell and endured many great successes in the early years. But like the trends back then, this soon faded away. The team can boast a great number of drivers who entered the cockpit such as Jean Alesi, Jody Scheckter and Francois Covert. The greatest success was Scotland's favourite racing legend and three time World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart (although he only won one here). The team does have a certain accolade that many say will be forever untouched. They are the only team ever to have won a Grand Prix with a six wheeler car!

An innovative design that was soon abandoned. SIX WHEELS?!?!?! Constructors Championships: 0 Drivers Championships: 0 British American Racing (BAR) took over as main sponsor for the Tyrrell team from 1999 onwards exclusively becoming BAR. The team had big ambitions and landed World Champion Jacques Villeneuve to drive for them. This marked the first time a car had emerged from the Brackley facilities. Their ambitions often became annoying, stating they were already an excellent team and that they could win a race in their first ever season. Between three drivers, they only managed to finish 11 races, with a rookie driver completing a finish before Villeneuve. The 2000 season was a big improvement but their real successes did not start occurring until Jenson Button joined in 2003. His following season saw a peak performance which seen the Brackley team grasp 2nd in the Constructors Championship. HONDA Constructors Championships: 1 Drivers Championships: 1 The BGP 001 has to be the most beautiful car ever created in F1. Untill 2012, the 2009 season was my favourite ever purely because of the excitement of this team.

From the ashes of Honda, Ross Brawn managed the impossible and the team still holds the 100% record for winning both world championships. It was the best season because of the euphoric highs at the beginning, the devastating lows when they got brought back to earth and of course the amazing in team rivalry between Button and Barrichello. I was quite annoyed when Mercedes bought them over because I absolutely loved the team and car, and to be perfectly honest I don't feel the same love for Mercedes AMG. Mercedes F1 Feature - Haas look away now... the 'chequered' history of F1 debutants Haas look away now... the 'chequered' history of F1 debutants Haas look away now... the 'chequered' history of F1 debutants 16 March 2016 Ahead of Haas' big debut this weekend, Crash.net looks back at the debut seasons of the last 10 'start-up' teams to enter F1... with wildly differing success rates!

StumbleUpon When Haas F1 makes its much anticipated F1 debut at this week's Australian Grand Prix, it will become the first entirely all-new, from the ground up team to join the ranks since Virgin Racing, Team Lotus and HRT bolstered the grid in 2010. In all, over the last 25 years, only 10 teams have attempted a ground up, from scratch attempt at F1 (ie. not through the purchase or rebrand of an existing team, like Red Bull or Brawn GP). Off those, only one still competes today under its maiden moniker, while only two would win a race in is original guise and just four scored in their inaugural campaign.

So based on near history, the odds are stacked against Haas to hit the ground running, but despite some testing niggles, many feel it has the ingredients to come good sooner rather than later – and the likes of some teams show what can certainly be possible for an F1 'newbie' Crash.net looks back at the most recent start-up endeavours to see what it has to measure itself against… 1991 Jordan Grand Prix Points in first season: 13 Years of existence in F1: 1991 – 2005 (Jordan 1991 – 2005: Midland 2006: Spyker 2007: Force India 2008 – ) Headed up by charismatic eponymous owner Eddie Jordan, Jordan Grand Prix was the latest in a long line of title-winning junior formula teams to tread a path into F1 when it stepped up in 1991. At a time when making that transition seamlessly and successfully was becoming increasingly tough, Jordan bucked the trend to finish a remarkable fifth in the constructors' standings at its first attempt.

With Andrea de Cesaris and Bertrand Gachot at the wheel, Jordan scored its first points by round five – a double top five – and thereafter found itself frequently picking up digits. Famously of course, Jordan would earn its place in the history books as the team to give a young Michael Schumacher his F1 debut, the then 22 year-old scoring in three of the six races he competed in what would – unbeknown at the time – become the eye-catching prelude to an extraordinary career. Interestingly, it took Jordan until 1994 to come close to matching that breakout campaign (it scored just four points across 1992 and 1993), the plucky outfit winning its long awaited first race in 1998 ahead of its pinnacle 1999 season that yielded three wins and third overall in the constructors'. Financial woes would begin to descend as the pennies pinched into the 2000s and Jordan eventually sold up to the Russian-financed Midland Group 2006, which then became Spyker F1 for 2007 and finally to its current form of Force India in 2008.

1993 Points in first season: 12 Years of existence in F1: 1993 – (Sauber 1993 – 2005, BMW Sauber 2006 – 2009, Sauber 2010 – ) Though recent years have been somewhat less forgiving in terms of results and it seems to be operating on an increasingly shoe-string budget, it's easy to forget the odds Sauber has repeatedly triumphed against as the only new team from the last 25 years to still be operating in F1 as it started (albeit with some factory assistance along the way). Entering F1 via a more alternative sportscar angle, where it had won Le Mans as a Mercedes partner in the 80s, Sauber stepped up to F1 in 1993 with some financial assistance from three-pointed star. Using competitive Ilmor engines, Sauber turned heads from the off by scoring on its debut in Kyalami courtesy of JJ Lehto's fifth place and though reliability issues kept points somewhat scarce thereafter, few teams in the history of F1 had hit the ground so convincingly given its minimal single-seater experience.

From here, Sauber went on to establish itself as a perennial mid-field runner, yet remain something of a pioneer, whether it was luring Red Bull into the sport, securing a long running engine branding deal with Petronas or putting faith in little known drivers – most notably Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa – who would go on to achieve great things. It even attracted a takeover from BMW – who faithfully kept the Sauber moniker alongside its own – and worked itself into a race winner and competitive front runner. Had the global financial crisis not spooked BMW away, many feel Sauber – vicariously at least – would have been a world champion. It's a measure of the dedication that founder Peter Sauber was able to reform the original team in the wake of BMW's demise and it has taken more podiums since. Indeed, though times are tough, given the challenge of teams experienced on this list, its continued presence 23 years later ranks as one of F1's most endearing tales.

1994 Points in first season: 0 Years of existence in F1: 1994 – 1995 A team that will forever remembered in F1 for all of the wrong reasons, Simtek's time in F1 may have been brief and tragic, but had its original plans for the sport ever come to fruition, it could have been a very different story. Helmed by Nick Wirth, Simtek developed a close relationship with a number of F1 teams via its Simtek Research facility – founded with Max Mosely -, which included a windtunnel, so much so that it was commissioned by BMW to design a car for the German firm's planned full-factory entry. However, the project was aborted and Simtek instead planned its own entry for 1994. With MTV branding and Ford engines, Simtek showed promise initially, but would be rocked to its core in only its third race when driver Roland Ratzenberger was fatally injured in an accident at the San Marino Grand Prix, in what would become one of the darkest weekends in sporting history.

Simtek continued, not helped by another almost career-ending smash for Andrea Montermini just two races later, but despite some tragic odds and financial constraints that would see six different drivers race alongside David Brabham, results were remarkably solid for an all-new budget team and it qualified for all but two races. Simtek continued into 1995, but while the car was competitive – and may have stood to challenge for points is some unpredictable races with ex-Benetton driver Jos Verstappen at the wheel -, the money eventually dried up and the team was not seen again beyond the Monaco Grand Prix. 1994 Points in first season: 0 Years of existence in F1: 1994 – 1995 Though its brief and unremarkable tenure in F1 would lead one to automatically group Pacific as one of motorsport's ambitious but flawed efforts, is timeline could read very differently but for matters out of its control. Champions in British F3 and International Formula 3000, with a roll-call of drivers to include Eddie Irvine, JJ Lehto and David Coulthard, it came into F1 with a stronger privateer pedigree than few before it.

Its plans were respectable too - enter F1 in 1993 with a Reynard-designed chassis, already well-established from the American company's stillborn plans to enter F1 itself. However, the original design team had departed to Benetton and the designs sold to Ligier – who turned it into a podium winner - , leaving a skeleton crew to adapt what little remained of the available blueprints. Time constraints would force Pacific to defer entry to 1994, but the PR01 remained an already out-dated, compromised 1993 design with minor modifications to bring it into line with 1994 regulations. It was not competitive and in the 32races it entered, it qualified on just six occasions. In those six starts, it failed to finish any of them. Holding out for 1995, a stronger (if still not competitive) engine-chassis package, coupled to a slimmed entry list that did away with pre-qualifying, meant Pacific started nearly every race but it still found itself mired towards the back of the grid, leading it to withdraw back to F3000 at the end of the year.

1995 Points in first season: 0 Years of existence in F1: 1995 – 1996 A plucky Italian team that had grown from frequent non-qualifier at Formula 3000 level to a race winner and title contender, Forti made the bold decision to step up to F1 for the 1995 season. Though somewhat against the grain of the current trend as financial pressures and poor a roll-call of success for F3000-turned-F1 teams, founder Guido Forti persevered with his plans, with Brazilian investment from Abilo Dos Santos Diniz, which guaranteed his son Pedro a drive, along with experienced (albeit renowned backmarker) Roberto Moreno alongside him. It was a tough induction, however, the visibly chunky and uncompetitive FG01 proving woefully slow to the point it was so far off the leaders (9 laps) at the end of the Argentine and San Marino Grands Prix it couldn't be classified with a result. Revisions throughout the year, including an entirely new chassis, brought it up to the likes of Pacific and it was more reliable.

It was even one position shy of the points at a destructive Australian Grand Prix, but firm back-marker it would remain. The team lasted just half-a-season more as financial woes set in and a misguided last ditch deal from the Irish Shannon Group led to the courtroom rather than the points. 1997 Stewart Grand Prix Points in first season: 6 Years of existence in F1: 1997 – (Stewart 1997 – 1999: Jaguar: 2000 – 2004: Red Bull Racing: 2005 – ) Having established itself successfully in F3 and F3000, arrived with plenty of headline-grabbing pedigree courtesy of Jackie Stewart (father of team manager Paul Stewart) and a secured a lucrative development deal that would see Ford supply engines with a view to morphing it into a proper factory team in the coming years, Stewart Grand Prix was a bold and exciting entrant for 1997. With Rubens Barrichello and rookie Jan Magnussen – fresh from destroying the opposition in F3 – at the wheel, Stewart certain arrived with some impressive credentials.

The car wasn't disgracefully slow out of the box either and, particularly in the hands of Barrichello, seemed capable of points on merit. However, reliability would prove disgracefully poor, Barrichello repeatedly forced to retire from promising positions. To put into context, of the 34 starts Barrichello and Magnussen made in 1997, only eight of those were completed. Ironically, one of those was a remarkable second place finish for Barrichello at a weather-affected Monaco Grand Prix, marking the only team in this list to achieve a podium feat in its first year. It is also one of only two teams in this list to claim a win in its original guise, with Johnny Herbert triumphing in one of F1's more bizarre races at the 1999 European Grand Prix around the Nurburgring. Though Ford came good on its promises to take more control, rebranding the team as Jaguar in what would become a fairly average stint between 2000 and 2004, better days for the erstwhile Stewart team were still to come when Red Bull finally pitched in for its own team in 2005.

A race winner by 2009, that success would prelude its four-year run of world titles between 2010 and 2013. NB: Lola entered the 1997 season with its ill-fated effort, but competed – and failed to qualify in – just a single race before exiting the sport, thus it is not counted here 2002 Points in first season: 2 Years of existence in F1: 2002 – 2009 The last all new team to score in its debut race, Toyota's immediate F1 success was admittedly more through more fortune than pace out of the box. Announced with big fanfare, conceived with a huge budget and armed with a fine pedigree of success from World Rally and sportscar racing, Toyota's move into F1 was much anticipated and came with some lofty expectations – not least from its own bosses. With the experienced Mika Salo and Allan McNish at the wheel, the TF102 broke cover in 2002 but was not quite the world-beater many had expected.

A sixth place finish on its debut in Australia provided a great headline but came in a race of seven finishers and where minnows Minardi and Mark Webber took their famous fifth place. Just two top six finishes would occur all year – ironically within the first three races when the car was at its least developed -, but while the TF102 proved respectably reliable, the team that many believed had a bigger budget than Ferrari ended its year mired towards the back of the field. Inevitably, changes of approach, experience and bolder driver line-ups would see Toyota progress as time went on and by the end of the 2000s it was a regular podium winner. However, while it came close on several occasions, its failure to win any races in seven years and the looming pressures of the global recession would see Toyota back out counting its costs but not its trophies.

Despite this, having already made a successful return to sportscars and will re-enter WRC next year, many feel it could look to 'finish what it started' in F1 in the coming years too… 2006 Points in first season: 0 Years of existence in F1: 2006 - 2008 Creating an entirely new team to ensure a driver stays in F1 may seem rather extreme, but Japanese custom when it comes to F1 still boggles the mind of many. Either way, 2006 brought a surprise new team in the form of Super Aguri, a Japanese funded, British-based outfit created with Honda blessing as a means of keeping national hero Takuma Sato in the sport The result was Super Aguri, helmed by eponymous former F1 driver Aguri Suzuki. Based on a dated Arrows chassis, the rushed and untested SA05 kept Sato and team-mate Yuji Ide (who was replaced by Franck Montagny before Sakon Yamamoto replaced him too) pinned to the back of the grid throughout the year.

For 2007, Honda stepped in an effort to bring Super Aguri up to speed, but ran into controversy when rivals felt it was simply running lightly modified version of its own chassis. Though not explicitly against the regulations at the time, Honda came up against constant resistance from rivals. Nonetheless, Super Aguri began the year competitively as a mid-field team in a remarkable turnaround, with Sato scoring its first points with eighth in Spain before landing a sixth in Canada. However, as Honda counted its own pennies, Super Aguri's also continued to struggle financially and though it made the start of the 2008 season despite suggesting it would not, it last just four races before it was forced to withdraw indefinitely.

2010 Points in first season: 0 Years of existence in F1: 2010 - (Virgin 2010 - 2011: Marussia 2012 – 2014: Manor 2015 - ) The promise of a cost cap and enticed by furthering its 'innovative' brand by designing a car almost entirely using CFD saw Richard Branson's Virgin bring its distinctive brand to F1 in 2010 as one of three new start up teams. Behind the scenes it was long-existing F3 outfit Manor Racing pulling the strings, but when those cost cap promises weren't kept and Virgin – along with Team Lotus and HRT - struggled woefully. After two years, Branson pulled his backing at the end of the 2011, decrying F1's failure to lower costs. The team continued on as Marussia – Russian manufacturer that seemingly only ever built, let alone sold, one sportscar -, scored its first points in 2014, but suffered with the serious accident of Jules Bianchi, which led to his eventual death ninth months later.

Plunged into administration at the end of 2014 as Marussia exited, only for Manor to get an eleventh hour reprieve and return to the grid in 2015. Significant new technical backing and experienced staff sees it head into 2016 arguably in better shape than ever before… 2010 Points in first season: 0 Years of F1 existence in F1: 2010 – 2014 (2010 – 2011 Lotus; 2012 – 2014 Caterham) Helmed by charismatic AirAsia founder and entrepreneur Tony Fernandes, he returned the Lotus name to F1 (though naming rights would get messy in ensuing years), bringing a wealth of Malaysian financing and sponsors with him. Much like Virgin and HRT, however, Team Lotus suffered on the back of cost-cap promise failures and found itself mired at the back of the grid, despite a race winning driver line-up of Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli.

Experience wasn't enough to lift it anywhere close to an opportunity to challenge for points, though it was generally considered the more competitive of the three new start-ups entering that year. Fortunes wouldn't improve over the coming years, the team coming out worse in a naming rights dispute to rebrand as Caterham before folding altogether towards the end of the 2014 season when, having been brought under investor ownership and Fernandes had exited, it slipped into administration. 2010 Points in first season: 0 Years of F1 existence in F1: 2010 – 2012 Spain's first-ever F1 team entry would prove a brief and troubled one. Originally entered as the Campos Meta 1 team to run a Dallara designed chassis, the GP2 race winning team arguably the best pedigree of the three new teams initially, until team owner Adrian Campos decided against F1 after all. Jose Ramon Carabante's Hispania Racing Team (HRT) stepped in, purchased the Dallara chassis' and signed Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok in a very late eleventh hour deal that took it right up to the opening race.

Hampered by a car that was never properly finished by Dallara – who halted development when it became clear it wouldn't be receiving payment to develop it and reportedly didn't see a further penny from HRT following purchase – Sakon Yamamoto and Christian Klien also tried their hand at the car in 2010, but HRT found itself chasing Lotus and Virgin all year to finish bottom of the standings, a position it would maintain for two more seasons before folding altogether having not come close to a point. @OllieBarstow on Twitter

Question: Swiss Peter Sauber established his eponymous brand in what sport in 1993?
Answer: Formula One