Having an F1 car for the first few rounds of the season may be important, but having the necessary funds to develop it throughout the entire 2010 campaign is a whole other thing, as Brawn GP has proved it in the very past season. Following the departure of BMW from Hinwil, several sponsors also left the boat, including Malaysian oil company Petronas.
Although the signing of Kamui Kobayashi and Pedro de la Rosa were linked with two important sponsors – Panasonic on the one hand, and Santander on the other – no logos were present on the Ferrari-powered Sauber car during the first two tests of the season. Apart from the Certina decal on the side mirrors, the entire surface of the car was practically begging for paint.
The engine cover of the car this week feature the “See you in Bahrain” message, hinting that Peter Sauber does have something in store for the Sakhir race in mid-March. The lookout was confirmed by Pedro de la Rosa himself, who told Motor21 website that “the team is making efforts to get to Bahrain with a major sponsor.”
Sauber is currently one of the few teams in F1 without a major sponsor for the 2010 season. Petronas, their former title sponsor, has switched to Mercedes GP for the upcoming few seasons. Established teams like Williams and Renault have also lost their title sponsors for the upcoming season, but their financial backing for 2010 has been secured via several sponsorship deals and a takeover respectively.
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