BMW-Sauber will be powered by Ferrari in 2010

Mario Theissen confirmed that the BMW-Sauber team will be powered by Ferrari engines, subject to securing their place on the grid in 2010 under their new identity.

Following BMW’s decision to withdraw from Formula 1, the team was saved by the Qadbak investment group. However, its chances of participating in the 2010 F1 World Championship depend on the FIA. The FIA must convince the rest of the teams to allow the grid to be extended to 14 teams or remove one of them. The last available spot for the championship has been awarded to the new incarnation of the Lotus team.

The Sauber team was strongly suspected of returning to using engines branded Ferrari before the BMW takeover. The team director, Mario Theissen, today confirmed in the Singapore paddock that the contract has been finalized: The team will be powered by a Ferrari engine, he stated.

Theissen said it was not too early to decide if he would remain at the head of the team in its new form. “My personal future is entirely open and I will keep it that way until the end of the season,” he announced. “It would not be useful to mix my own situation with all the efforts made to secure the team’s future. And I am not concerned about the [little] time we have left this year.”

But he thinks the team has a bright future and will certainly be in the game despite the current uncertainty: « We are very confident about being on the grid next year, and the new investor is apparently very solid, » said the German. « He wants to keep the team at the forefront, and not just as a placeholder. It’s an excellent prospect for the team. We really couldn’t have expected it. As a result, the morale remains high. The team is really positive. We have a good update for the car here and we want to achieve great things in the last four races. »