I know, I know. Talk of new suppliers - particularly engine suppliers - often turns out to be little more than rumour and hearsay.
But I have it on very good authority that Sauber are in talks with VW about future engine supply, and that some of those talks have been taking place behind closed doors in the Hockenheim paddock.
If you read Joe Saward's blog (and you should), you will know that talk of VW entering the sport as an engine supplier is hardly the freshest of news. He's been banging on about it for donkeys' years.
There are eleventy billion reasons why VW would benefit from Formula One - make that eleventy billion and one now that Le Mans has announced that the 2014-spec F1 engine will be acceptable to them - with the revised engine formula.
But this is the first time that I have been given the name of a specific team in talks with Volkswagen, so I think it bears listening to.
Sauber and VW would be a good fit in marketing terms. The car manufacturer is the constructor of the people, and the same could be said for Sauber - the Swiss team and Williams are the paddock's two (long-standing) privateers, even allowing for Sauber's recent relationship with BMW.
Anyway, Sauber and VW share a number of core brand values, and signing up to a new engine supplier would free the Swiss team from Ferrari's influence. Never a bad thing.
Thanks to the relationship with Carlos Slim Jr - which was triggered by Ferrari Driver Academy star Sergio Perez, but which would continue through Esteban Gutierrez were the older Mexican to leave with a change of engine supplier - Sauber have access to funds that were beyond their wildest dreams at the end of 2009. And that's a pretty liberating position to be in, especially when you're shopping around for suppliers.
Of course, that's not to say that Slim Jr has given Sauber carte blanche with his wallet - far from it. But when I interviewed him in Barcelona earlier this year, Slim Jr acknowledged that - were the opportunity presented to him - he would be interested in acquiring a stake in the team.
Peter Sauber will eventually retire, which is why he has given Monisha Kaltenborn a 33 percent stake in his team. Peter knows and trusts Monisha as a proper racer who knows what she's doing, and one who fully understands the Sauber ethos. She preaches continuity and stability as a means of improvement, and were Slim Jr to acquire a stake in Sauber after Peter's retirement, Kaltenborn's presence will ensure the Sauber spirit is not lost.
TL;DR?
I digress. Sauber are said to be in engine talks with VW. VW would benefit from a presence in post-2014 Formula One. Sauber are in a position to shop around for a new supplier, and would benefit from independence within the paddock.
Will these talks come to anything? Who knows. But they're worth keeping an eye on, no question.
But I have it on very good authority that Sauber are in talks with VW about future engine supply, and that some of those talks have been taking place behind closed doors in the Hockenheim paddock.
If you read Joe Saward's blog (and you should), you will know that talk of VW entering the sport as an engine supplier is hardly the freshest of news. He's been banging on about it for donkeys' years.
There are eleventy billion reasons why VW would benefit from Formula One - make that eleventy billion and one now that Le Mans has announced that the 2014-spec F1 engine will be acceptable to them - with the revised engine formula.
But this is the first time that I have been given the name of a specific team in talks with Volkswagen, so I think it bears listening to.
Sauber and VW would be a good fit in marketing terms. The car manufacturer is the constructor of the people, and the same could be said for Sauber - the Swiss team and Williams are the paddock's two (long-standing) privateers, even allowing for Sauber's recent relationship with BMW.
Anyway, Sauber and VW share a number of core brand values, and signing up to a new engine supplier would free the Swiss team from Ferrari's influence. Never a bad thing.
Thanks to the relationship with Carlos Slim Jr - which was triggered by Ferrari Driver Academy star Sergio Perez, but which would continue through Esteban Gutierrez were the older Mexican to leave with a change of engine supplier - Sauber have access to funds that were beyond their wildest dreams at the end of 2009. And that's a pretty liberating position to be in, especially when you're shopping around for suppliers.
Of course, that's not to say that Slim Jr has given Sauber carte blanche with his wallet - far from it. But when I interviewed him in Barcelona earlier this year, Slim Jr acknowledged that - were the opportunity presented to him - he would be interested in acquiring a stake in the team.
Peter Sauber will eventually retire, which is why he has given Monisha Kaltenborn a 33 percent stake in his team. Peter knows and trusts Monisha as a proper racer who knows what she's doing, and one who fully understands the Sauber ethos. She preaches continuity and stability as a means of improvement, and were Slim Jr to acquire a stake in Sauber after Peter's retirement, Kaltenborn's presence will ensure the Sauber spirit is not lost.
TL;DR?
I digress. Sauber are said to be in engine talks with VW. VW would benefit from a presence in post-2014 Formula One. Sauber are in a position to shop around for a new supplier, and would benefit from independence within the paddock.
Will these talks come to anything? Who knows. But they're worth keeping an eye on, no question.
RSS Feed
