Sauber has announced a partnership with the Charouz Racing System team to launch a new young driver program from 2019.
Previously, the Swiss team has looked to engine partner Ferrari when bringing potential future stars into Formula 1 with names likes Felipe Massa, Charles Leclerc and Antonio Giovinazzi all having debuted with them.
While that outlet is likely to remain, with Charouz, Sauber will now have access to talent coming through the ranks in German and Italian F4, F3 and F2 to look at.
“Racing is a vital part of Sauber Motorsport’s DNA and the Sauber Junior Team marks an important milestone in the company history,” said team boss Fred Vasseur.
“Sauber has a long tradition of helping drivers reach their full potential, having worked with the likes of Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and upcoming star Charles Leclerc.
“With this project, Sauber further extends its racing platform with a complete and dedicated programme from the junior series to the pinnacle of motorsport.
“We are delighted to partner with Charouz Racing System, a highly professional team that operates with success in all the series.”
Next season, Sauber will have Giovinazzi and Kimi Raikkonen as their race drivers with Tatiana Calderon remaining as a test driver.