Sauber: towards a Hülkenberg / Gutierrez duo in 2013?
After two consecutive seasons with the same pair of drivers, the Swiss team could start fresh and offer the two seats of its 2013 car to Nico Hülkenberg, from Force India, and Esteban Gutierrez, currently the third driver for Sauber.
If the transfer market in Formula 1 has already largely filled the pages of specialized media, with notably the departure of Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes but also that of Sergio Pérez from Sauber to McLaren, it’s not over yet for the “silly season”, which should soon bring the wind of novelty on the Swiss side.
Indeed, with S. Pérez’s departure, Sauber finds itself facing an empty seat. However, this empty seat is not the only seat that should be filled for next season, as Kamui Kobayashi had publicly admitted that his place was not guaranteed during his podium finish in Japan. An uncertainty that would mainly originate from financial reasons, as according to our colleagues at YallaF1, the Japanese driver has been asked to bring a sponsor to the team for next season.
The BBC, for its part, believes that it is Nico Hülkenberg, a Force India driver for two seasons, who is set to replace Pérez: « Nico Hülkenberg will leave Force India and join Sauber next year. Sauber has not yet officially confirmed Hülkenberg but the agreement is already in the works » a British journalist said.
The same source reveals that the Indian team would be eager to rehire Adrian Sutil, a driver from the small Silverstone team between 2006 and 2011 – when it was named Midland then Spyker before becoming Force India – who was not retained in 2012, when he was facing legal issues. A possible return that could be hindered by the possibility of seeing Jaime Alguersuari return to the race for a seat: “There are pressures from certain sides for the team to take Alguersuari, who was fired by Toro Rosso last year despite an impressive season.” Pressures that could be financial since the Spaniard is supported by CEPSA, an Iberian oil company.
Returning to Sauber, Nico Hülkenberg would not be the only recruit for the Swiss team since for Kamui Kobayashi, the enemy would come from within: Esteban Gutierrez, supported by Telmex, the telephone company of the world’s richest man, Carlos Slim, could thus have his chance in the seat of the next C32. If the financial support of the Mexican firm is assured, despite the departure of its current figurehead, Gutierrez’s appointment would fully materialize this flourishing partnership.
Interviewed by Roger Benoit, a Swiss journalist from Blick, Peter Sauber, who handed over the leadership of the team he founded in 1993 to Monisha Kaltenborn this weekend, answered, when the names of the two possible successors to the current line-up were presented: « I think Blick mentioned all the possibilities, there are no more suspects than that. » So, this time, will Kobayashi be the scapegoat facing these usual suspects? Answer in a few days…
