• Bahrain Grand Prix

Sauber without new sponsor

ESPNF1 Staff
March 10, 2010 « Glock chose Virgin as 'safer option' | »
Peter Sauber says the team is fully funded for 2010 © Sutton Images
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Sauber will go into the opening grand prix of the season in Bahrain without a new major sponsor.

It had been thought talks with a significant backer could result in a deal to be unveiled in Bahrain, but team boss Peter Sauber reports that the bodywork of the C29 will remain mostly blank for now.

"After the withdrawal of BMW and the takeover of the team, the time was simply too short for us to find a partner or principal sponsor," he said. "We only had confirmation of the 13th team entry in December so concrete negotiations could only start very late. Nevertheless, the 2010 season for us is guaranteed, even though the more sponsors we have, the more we can invest in the development of the car."

Sauber also said drivers Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi are not bringing any sponsors to their seats. "Neither of them has brought money. I hired them only because of their achievements."

But when asked if he thinks Sauber will be able to tap into the Spanish and Japanese markets, he said he "hoped so", adding: "The Spanish and Japanese markets are lucrative, although there has also been the impact of the global financial crisis."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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