Is Sauber closing in on a buy out?

[ESPImperium]

Teams get prise money at the end of the end of each season, it ranges from $50million to $17 for thenth place, but if you finish 11th to 13th you get free logistical support from DHL and a whole lot of extra support as well that the classified teams do not get.

So in a way, they get money for their points.

I think Sauber are looking at 2011, they will drop the BMW name for 2011, but not earlier, they will continue to evolve this car out a little, but not too much, enough to keep pace to arround the start of the fly-aways again, then finish the C29 as it is there. As soon as James Key came in, they started looking at 2011 with 3 car concepts, by now they will have dismissed at least one wholy and another in part to integrate its concepts into the philosiphy they intend to follow for 2011. They have the facilities and resources to make a good car for 2011; the team has a good TD, arguably the best super-computer in Albert3 (freshly left fully updated by BMW as a leaving present as of October 2009) and the most cleanly organised facility outside of McLarens on the grid, they also have Ferarri power and good experienced staff. The only wekness they have is funding, their budget for 2010 is rumored to be £110million, £15million less than Brawn in 2010.

If Sauber get a set of good sponsors for 2011, bringing to them arround the £75million in total that BMW left them as their severance package, they will be in good shape. The only big one they will loose ins sponsor money is Bridgestone as that brought them £10million, Pirelli is only offering teams £2.5million.

One opertunity i think Sauber should take advantage of is a merger, or "partnership" with ART the GP2 team, as they didnt have the funding avbalable, id team up with them, have them bring a driver and £30 million to the table for example, Sauber run the team for F1, but train up the ART guys to be F1 standard, and after a set period, ART could take over the team wholy, if not they must sign a aggreement not to enter F1 for 5 years. I think it would be a prime opertunity for both squads to have, this way they both get something out of it. Id like to see a Kobiyashai/Bianchi partnership taring up the grid in a capable car, that could be branded ART Sauber-Ferarri.