“We will not be available in the forthcoming season as an engine supplier,” board member Klaus Draeger insisted on Wednesday, soon after announcing the company's quit from F1.
Although technically BMW wouldn't have had anything to lose if continuing to supply V8 power plants to an independent team – after all, they would have recovered the money invested in building them – their decision seems related to the new engine rules introduced by the FIA for 2009.
From next year, refueling will be banned in F1, which means the engine suppliers in the series will have to reconsider the structure of their V8s in order to cope with this cost cutting measure. Apparently, BMW wants nothing to do with it.
BMW's decision is sure no good news for Peter Sauber – part owner of BMW Sauber – who was looking to at least secure an engine partner for the upcoming season. As announced by the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) yesterday, the teams alliance will do anything in their power to safeguard the Swiss team from bankruptcy.
With BMW out of the picture, Sauber will not only have to secure a new business partner able to cope with the high demands & costs of Formula One racing, but also sign a new engine partner. Although no speculation has been made in that direction, Cosworth might prove the best option for Sauber, given their low-cost V8s. That unless one of the engine manufacturers in the FOTA doesn't decides to make a charity offer to the Swiss team owner.
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