Ex-Renault boss Frederic Vasseur has been confirmed as the new team principal at Sauber following the departure of Monisha Kaltenborn last month.
Kaltenborn, a long-time member of the Swiss team and team boss since 2010 becoming the first female to do in Formula 1, left after a disagreement with the board prior to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
According to reports, Sauber chiefs want to favour Marcus Ericsson, who’s backers are linked to owners Longbow Finance, over Pascal Wehrlein despite the German scoring all six points for the team so far this season.
It was quickly speculated that Vasseur, who himself left Renault in January after disagreeing on the direction of the team with managing director Cyril Abiteboul, would be her replacement and on Wednesday that was proven accurate.
“Frédéric Vasseur’s long and successful career in top level international motorsport speaks for itself, and we are thrilled to welcome him to Sauber,” chairman Pascal Picci declared in a statement.
Indeed, the Frenchman has since been continuing his role with the ART Grand Prix team, a highly successful outfit in junior series including F2 and GP3, but now he’s looking forward to his next challenge.
“I’m very proud to be joining Sauber Motorsport AG, and wish to thank the company’s shareholders for their trust in me,” he said.
“I’ve been impressed by the facilities in Hinwil and by the talent and ambition of the workforce, and I very much look forward to complementing the team with my experience and determination and drive all people in the right direction in everything they do.
“I am convinced that all together we will achieve ambitious targets. I cannot wait to start working with our drivers, engineers and all the staff. I look forward to contributing to the next important phase in the development of the team.”
In a related story, a report in Germany has claimed the recent turmoil at Sauber could have led Honda to cancel its deal to supply the team from 2018.
When asked for comment, however, a spokesperson for the Japanese manufacturer called it “media speculation” insisting their future tie-up “has not changed”.
