BMW Sauber have dropped a hint that they may be changing the name and logo of their Formula 1 team, to Sauber Motorsport. It makes sense, too, given that BMW are no longer associated with the team.

The above, new logo was displayed on a press release previewing the Bahrain Grand Prix on the BMW Sauber media site.

However changing their name could cause its own issues – to change a F1 team name after already registering another, is difficult and could result with the loss of the team’s claim to TV revenue earned in the 2009 season. Another theory is that Peter Sauber may be waiting for a title sponsor before filling in the name-change form.

“I always firmly believed I would be given another chance as a team driver. Since the number of test drives were radically reduced, this was what I was working towards.

“I’m really excited about the season with Peter Sauber’s team, which has been a solid fixture in Formula 1 ever since 1993.”

A veteran of 72 Grands Prix, de la Rosa’s first F1 stint was from 1999-2002, during which time he raced for the Arrows and Jaguar teams. From 2003 onwards, de la Rosa has driven for McLaren as a test driver, making 9 race appearances in the process.

In his F1 career so far, de la Rosa has collected 29 points, and just a single podium.

Peter Sauber is now the President of the board of directors, but will not have any operational duties at the team’s Hinwil base. This will be left with the management in Hinwil.

His son, Alex, is now in charge of the marketing department. He previously worked in Neue Grasshopper Fussball AG, a Swiss football team.

Willy Rampf remains as technical director. Urs Jampen returns to the role of finance director after 18 months. Jurg Flach is now the director of operations, with overall responsibility of production. Monisha Kaltenborn is the new managing director, who has been promoted from Head of Legal Affairs.

When asked about the reorganisation, Peter Sauber said:

“Formula 1 is constantly changing.This division of responsibilities not only meets the demands of the sport, but also freshens things up within the company. I will keep myself informed on all important developments, but will leave operational matters to the management in Hinwil.”

Despite BMW selling the team to Sauber, the official team name will remain BMW Sauber – for the time being, at least as team boss Peter Sauber has “not decided” when an application to change the name of his Hinwil based Formula One team will be made.

F1 testing dates 2010:

February 1st – 3rd – Valencia
February 10th – 13th – Jerez
February 17th – 20th – Jerez
February 25th – 28th – Circuit de Catalunya

Although the BMW Sauber team was formed in 2005, BMW have been in F1 long before then, supplying engines in the 80′s before forging winning partnerships with the BMW WilliamsF1 team in the 90′s.

This video shows the final 10 years of BMW in F1 from BMW Williams, to BMW Sauber.

“The years we were together with BMW and Sauber, we benefited from the lubricant business; for next year, we have no team and the only reason for us to go back into F1 is on a business deal for the lubricant business.”

…the Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas have announced they will be continuing as the title sponsor of the new Mercedes GP works team.

Founded in 1974, PETRONAS or ‘Petroliam Nasional Berhad’ is Malaysia’s national oil and gas company. With global operations in over 30 countries, PETRONAS posted a net profit of 15.3 billion US dollars from a turnover of 77 billion US dollars in fiscal year 2008/2009 (ending 31 March 2009).

Petronas have previously backed Sauber and BMW Sauber, and will continue to be the title sponsor of the PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix, scheduled to be the third race of the new season, which will take place at the Sepang International Circuit on 4 April 2010.

Mercedes motorsport vice-president Norbert Haug said:

“We are very pleased to begin our long-term partnership with our new title partner PETRONAS. Daimler, our premium brand Mercedes-Benz and PETRONAS will work together both on and off the track and I am sure that everybody involved will guarantee their absolute dedication to success. PETRONAS’ home base in Kuala Lumpur is located in the middle of a fast-growing region for the automotive industry which makes this new partnership even more valuable. Within the limits of the new Formula One resource restrictions, the Mercedes GP PETRONAS Formula One Team will be well positioned to achieve our goals. We will all strive to present efficient success in the future knowing at the same time that the new Formula One season with some fundamental rule changes will be a particularly challenging one.”

And Mercedes GP team boss Ross Brawn said:

“Everyone at Mercedes GP is delighted to confirm our long-term agreement with PETRONAS and we look forward to working closely with our new partner in the future. The collaboration of the premium automotive brand Mercedes-Benz and a company as prestigious as PETRONAS gives our team a fantastic base from which to achieve our ambitions of competing at the top level of Formula One and building on the success of 2009 which saw the team achieve the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships. Our plans for the new season are progressing well, as is the development of our 2010 challenger, and we look forward to seeing the car run in the new Silver Arrows and PETRONAS livery at the Valencia test in February.”

The concept images of the Mercedes GP 2010 car published in the media section of the Brawn GP website are below.

Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat alleges that a deal has been made but  that no confirmation will be made until both race seats have been filled.

Kobayashi had hoped for a race with Toyota, but the Japanese manufacturer have pulled out of the sport.

Giancarlo Fisichella, Nick Heidfeld and Pedro de la Rosa are believed to be on Sauber’s shortlist, and Peter Sauber has already expressed a desire for a blend of youth and experience behind the wheel.

It is also rumoured that Belgian driver Bertand Baguette (what a name!) will get the test and reserve driver role in Sauber, if you believe comments made by his manager. Baguette drove for BMW Sauber during the last day of the youngsters’ test in Jerez.

Turun Sanomat has also reported Malaysian oil company Petronas will maintain it’s backing of the Swiss team.

This could mean that Kubica is interested in shopping around if the deal isn’t to his liking. The clauses of his contract are unknown but with this deal there may be a loophole which allows him to leave.

If Kubica isn’t satisfied with Renault’s plans then he is fast running out of options. It’s early to call just where each team will be in terms of performance but the only team likely to be ahead of Renault and with a free seat is Mercedes GP.
Mercedes however, are allowing the Schumacher rumours to get very strong. There is still a lot to overcome to sign Michael as he hasn’t yet asked to be released by Ferrari but these rumours just refuse to go away.

Also waiting in the wings for the seat is Robert’s former BMW-Sauber teammate Nick Heidfeld. Heidfeld has beaten Kubica in 2007 and 2009 but for whatever reason it is Kubica who is the more highly rated. Mercedes seem to want two German drivers but if he does come on the market he will be hard to resist.

The new teams would be a big step down but ideally it would only be for a year. Massa’s and Webber’s contracts are up at the end of next season so he could fight for one of those seats (he is friends with Alonso and was approached by the Italian squad to stand in for Felipe Massa after his accident so Kubica could work well at Ferrari).

However, if only a year-long deal is wanted then Robert would be wise to stay where he is. Renault has a good team of people; they know how to win despite the slump of recent years and would greatly benefit from having him as team leader.

Kubica’s management has said they will at least need a few days to consider what has happened but with the silly season jigsaw beginning to slip into place they could run out of time.

The FIA has said in a press release on its website that Sauber‘s application to get a team on the grid in 2010 has been successful, with them taking the place of the departing Toyota team.

The press release read:

The FIA has written to inform BMW Sauber AG that their application for an entry in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship has been successful.  Subject to their signing the Concorde Agreement, BMW Sauber will be awarded the 13th entry in the Championship, taking the place of the departing Toyota team.

The FIA has worked closely with the Commercial Rights Holder and the teams involved over recent weeks and is grateful for their support in achieving the best outcome for the sport.

An updated Formula One entry list will be published in due course.

Sauber will be back on the grid after buying the BMW team for the first time since 2005.