Sauber team boss Monisha Kaltenborn has played down the possibility of becoming mired by the same Honda engine problems that have affected McLaren this season.
After a lengthy period of speculation, it was confirmed before the Spanish Grand Prix weekend that the Hinwil-based team would be switching from long-time partners Ferrari to the Japanese manufacturer from 2018.
But currently, Sauber is benefiting from Honda’s problems after they moved ahead of McLaren into ninth in the Constructors’ championship, following Pascal Wehrlein’s eighth place finish in Barcelona.
“Well, we certainly expect that they’ll have sorted out all the issues they have been facing so far and we expect that to also happen still in this season,” Kaltenborn said when asked if she had any concerns about the switch.
“Looking at the talks we’ve had with Honda and having seen their facilities, knowing how determined they are, we have no reason to doubt that.”
Throughout their Ferrari partnership, Sauber has been the starting point for several of the Italian team’s young stars, Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa and Antonio Giovinazzi to name a few.
Asked if a similar situation may remain with Honda, who have drivers currently in F2 and GP3, Kaltenborn claimed: “Well, regarding drivers, at the end of the day it’s the team’s decision, and also the team’s responsibility to have good drivers.
“Like we’ve done in the past, even with our current engine supplier, Ferrari, we’ve discussed these kinds of issues with the key partner.
“We have also taken drivers from our engine supplier because it was the right thing to do there. It’s something that we’re open to and we’ll see how it pans out.”
“In terms of sponsorship I think it’s far too early to look at these things,” she added, considering other potential effects. “We’ve just announced the deal. So we’ll see how that develops as well.”