Sauber is looking for a title sponsor

The acquisition of 100% of Sauber’s capital by the investment group Longbow Finance ensured the survival of Sauber, which had previously been plunged into significant financial difficulties.

But this is only the first stage of the rocket that aims to bring Sauber back up in the hierarchy. Thus, Monisha Kaltenborn, who retains her role as team president, is in negotiations to bring in a new title sponsor. When the official F1 website asks her about the likelihood of having a Sauber-XYZ chassis name, the businesswoman replies: “If I remember the rules for the chassis correctly, I think there won’t be a name after Sauber. But I clearly hope there will be a name in front as a title sponsor. We are working a lot on the subject. It’s not easy, but if you can once again show stability to potential partners, it’s a big help.”

Throughout its long history, Sauber has had multiple title sponsors, including Red Bull between 1995 and 2001, before moving to Petronas between 2002 and 2005. A possibility for a potential title sponsor could be Tetra Pak, which is currently one of the main financial supporters of Marcus Ericsson.

Indeed, according to documents available on the Internet, one of the former names of Longbow Finance is Tetral Management Investment SA. Now, the registered address of this company is identical to that of Tetra Laval International SA, which is the parent company of the famous Tetra Pak enterprise.

When questioned in turn on the subject, the leader was as discreet on the topic as her driver during the Hungarian Grand Prix conference: « Well, our new owner is Longbow Finance. It’s a company specialized in financial activities. Generally, investors manage investment portfolios and engage in private equity. They have been active for over 20 years in this sector. That should be long enough. »

Nevertheless, she insisted on ruling out the possibility of Marcus Ericsson having a lifelong contract with the team. Both her drivers have contracts until the end of the season, but no decision has been made yet for the next season: « These two things are unrelated. Our decisions for the drivers will be made in the same way they usually are, and we will announce them once we’ve reached a conclusion. »

The fact remains that the Swede’s situation seems much more favorable than that of Felipe Nasr. Indeed, the Brazilian has to deal with the difficulties of his main sponsor, Banco do Brasil, which is suffering from the political and economic crisis in his home country.

With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr