Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali admits BMW Sauber’s chances of remaining on next season’s grid currently rest on one of the new squads dropping out, after teams failed to unanimously agree to expand the field to 14 teams.
BMW’s failure to sign the new Concorde Agreement prior to the announcement of its impending Formula 1 withdrawal meant its Hinwil-based F1 operation lost its guaranteed position on the 2010 grid, with the vacant slot subsequently given to the new Lotus team.
The FIA placed the Hinwil team – since bought by the mysterious investment vehicle Qadbak – in the first reserve position should any of the confirmed outfits not make it, but did say it would push for the grid to be expanded by an extra team in any case.
Such a change to the Concorde Agreement requires the support of all the confirmed 13 teams, but this was not forthcoming at a FOTA meeting ahead of last Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, with Williams and new entrant Campos believed to have opposed a further expansion of the grid.
Speaking at Suzuka, Domenicali implied that Ferrari and the majority of its fellow FOTA members were keen to see the Sauber team continue, but conceded its future wasn't currently in its own hands.
“We – I can speak for Ferrari but I speak also for FOTA – would love to have the Sauber team because of the heritage, because of the structure and because we know they can deliver a great thing,” Domenicali told reporters.
“We are happy for them to be part of the team [grid]. But there are some I would say small teams that are, let’s say, not in favour of it.
“So at the moment we have to wait and see if some of the small teams will be able to be there [next season].”
The Ferrari team principal acknowledged that the continued uncertainty surrounding the Sauber team’s F1 future was making it difficult for it to put any 2010 plans into place.
He added that Ferrari was keen to get the matter resolved as quickly as possible too given that it is set to supply engines to the new-look team should it continue.
“I can understand for the Sauber team it is a problem of timing because they cannot wait and see and check whether the small teams will be there,” Domenicali said.
“They need to plan, they need to have sponsors, they need to hire…everything.
“And as you know we are discussing a possible supply of engines, so also for ourselves we need to know very soon.
“At this stage the situation is if you don’t have all the teams agreeing it is not possible.”
BMW Sauber’s wait to find out whether it will have a place on next season’s grid comes amid ongoing doubts surrounding the team’s new owners Qadbak.
The Swiss-based investment group, whose involvement at Notts County football club in has been investigated in recent weeks by the English Football League, has yet to make any public comment about its purchase of the F1 team, with no firm details having emerged about the investors behind the takeover.
Domenicali said that with so little known about Qadbak, the F1 community simply had to trust that BMW’s board had taken the required care to establish the suitability of the investment group before agreeing to the sale.
“The only I can say is that we need to trust of course the due diligence done by the BMW board so on that respect I can not say any more on that,” he said.
“I can understand maybe that there are voices around and there are uncertainties that are connected to [the new owner], but on that respect we have to trust BMW that it should be reliable enough to decide if the company or the new financer of the Sauber team is good or not.”
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