Written by Lorenzo Baer, Edited by Meghana Sree
Although expected news, the recent announcement of the final purchase of Sauber Motorsport's shares in Formula One by Audi has finally started the countdown for the traditional Swiss team.
Despite rarely having shown a competitive performance, Sauber has become one of those well-known figures on the grids of the category, winning fans with its charismatic presence.
As a homage to its interesting and peculiar history in F1, DIVEBOMB presents its readers a story of some of the most defining moments of the team in the top category of world motorsport.
1993: Sauber F1 Team's much anticipated debut
Founded in 1970 by former electrician and driver Peter Sauber, the team's early years were an obscure experience in the Swiss motorsport scene.
It was only at the end of the decade that the driver's adventure really began to take off, when the first international successes started to pile up on the walls of the team's headquarters, in the small town of Hinwil.
The big trigger for Sauber's participation in F1 was its partnership with Mercedes in the World Sportscar Championship (WSC).
This partnership had yielded many laurels for the Swiss team in the 1980s: two titles in the category, plus a historic victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1989.
Due to the changes that were about to take place in F1 by the end of the decade, Mercedes saw an opportunity to attract a new customer base.
With a special focus on engine regulations, the German manufacturer were exploring the market in search of reliable power plants at competitive prices.
Despite Sauber's initial lack of interest in a proposal to extend Mercedes' contract to include F1, Peter Sauber slowly changed his mind, seeing the good results achieved by the manufacturer (through the brand Ilmor) with other customers in F1, such as Leyton House and Tyrrell.
In 1992, Peter was finally convinced of the viability of the project, signing a partnership that would transform Sauber into the official Mercedes F1 team.
While the team would maintain its base in Switzerland, Mercedes would be responsible for the technical and mechanical support, using the know-how acquired by Ilmor in the other F1 teams.
Officially unveiled in early 1993, the Sauber C12 was Team Sauber's first F1 car.
Developed by renowned British designer Harvey Postlethwaite, the car featured a design that was common at the time, with a low-profile nose and a high air intake on the top of the driver’s head.
With its almost entirely black paintwork (with the exception of a few small sponsor stickers scattered around the car), the Sauber C12 was a striking presence on the grid.
The car's debut took place at the 1993 South African GP, with the driver duo JJ Lehto and Karl Wendlinger. Lehto had a surprisingly good race, finishing fifth and giving Sauber its first points in its debut F1 race.
Throughout the year, the two drivers would score five more points, leading the team to finish seventh (with 12 points) in the Constructors’ Championship.
1995: The first podium
1994 had been another solid year for the team in F1, scoring the same 12 points as in 1993.
As such, Peter Sauber, now much more motivated and committed to the team's single-seater open-wheeler project, was preparing to launch a major package of changes that, it was hoped, would elevate the team to a higher rung in F1.
The most obvious novelty was the end of the partnership with Ilmor/Mercedes-Benz, with the Stuttgart marquee signing an exclusive contract with McLaren for 1995.
Looking for a replacement, Sauber found its answer in Ford, with the two parties signing a partnership agreement in the autumn of 1994.
Theoretically, the cooperation could bring many benefits to the Swiss team, with Sauber having access to Ford's enormous industrial and economic power.
Furthermore, it is worth remembering that Ford was at the time one of the most sought-after engine suppliers in F1, given that the manufacturer's engines had powered Michael Schumacher to the category title in the 1994 championship.
However, the realities of the 1995 season were well below the expectations, with the Sauber C14 struggling at the beginning of the season, especially in the hands of the team's number one driver, Wendlinger (with the Austrian later being sacked, in favor of Frenchman Christophe Boullion).
On the other hand, number two driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen proved to be a welcome surprise for the team. Frentzen was already a familiar face at Sauber, having participated in the team's young talents development project in the WSC.
Consistently finishing in the points in the 1995 F1 races, the driver was a major contributor to the team's seventh place in the standings.
The highlight of Frentzen and Sauber's 1995 campaign would certainly be the Italian GP.
In a race marked by several retirements, the German driver carefully guided the C14 to an incredible 3rd place finish. This would be the Swiss team's and Frenzten's first podium in F1.
1997: Becoming an independent constructor
New winds would blow through the team from 1997 onwards. After two years of an unsuccessful partnership with Ford in F1, Sauber set out again to seek a partnership.
This time, the team would be helped by the Malaysian oil company Petronas, which saw a good opportunity to promote its brand in association with the Swiss team.
After two disappointing agreements with manufacturers in F1, Peter Sauber had decided it was time to take another risky step in the category: to become completely self-sufficient, not depending on suppliers for its power units.
Theoretically, the team was actually recognized by the FIA in the 1997 championship as an independent manufacturer, having formed a partnership with Petronas under the auspices of the Sauber Petronas Engineering AG (SPE) consortium.
However, despite this apparent structure for the production of its own power plants, it was known that much of the technology used in Petronas engines originated from components developed by a certain company from Maranello.
Thus, it didn't take long for a technical cooperation agreement signed between Ferrari and Sauber to come to light.
Although this practice was not illegal, it clearly demonstrated that the self-sufficiency desired by Sauber was, in reality, nothing more than a great marketing ploy.
The partnership between Sauber and Petronas would last from 1997 to 2005. In those nine years, the team's best result would be in 2001, when Sauber finished fourth in the Constructors' Championship, with a duo formed by Nick Heidfeld and Kimi Räikkönen.
2008: Finally a victory
Although the partnership with Petronas had provided a solid foundation for the team, in 2006 Sauber found itself at yet another crossroads. The team was looking for funds, and a takeover was the best possible solution to help with Sauber’s economical demands.
The salvation came in the form of BMW, who was looking to establish a team in F1.
After scouring the market, the Munich-based manufacturer found an opportunity with Sauber, which at the time was no longer fully controlled by Peter Sauber.
The majority of Sauber's shares were held by the investment bank Credit Suisse, which was certainly intrigued and interested in BMW's proposal.
Negotiations between the two parties continued throughout the first half of 2005, with BMW's purchase of Sauber being made official in June of the same year.
This would be a new experience for Sauber, as the team would no longer call the shots in-house.
From 2006 onwards, all decisions, whether design or operational, were made by the Munich giant – although the Sauber-BMW headquarters continued to be in Hinwil.
The partnership between Sauber and BMW would last until 2009, when the majority of the shares were bought back by Peter.
This period would prove to be the most fruitful in Sauber's history, with the team finishing in the top three of the constructors' standings for two consecutive years (2007 and 2008).
However, the great highlight of the BMW-Sauber partnership would be Sauber's first victory in F1, achieved by Robert Kubica at the 2008 Canadian GP.
Besides Kubica, the other main driver of this period was Heidfeld, with occasional appearances of some seasoned drivers, such as Jacques Villeneuve, and others who were yet to make their name in F1, like Sebastien Vettel.
2018: A legendary name returns to the sport
In yet another twist in Sauber's history, shocking news once again changed the course of the team and F1 in 2017: the return of Alfa Romeo to the grid after a 40-year absence.
The agreement between Sauber and Alfa Romeo was developed in such a way that the team's operational control would remain under the aegis of Sauber, with only a change in name rights so that the team would be recognized as Alfa Romeo.
In other words, the entire structure of Sauber would remain intact, including keeping alive the technological cooperation agreement with Ferrari, which had been reestablished after the end of the partnership with BMW in 2009.
Alfa Romeo, for its part, would only contribute with its technological know-how, in addition to its promotion as the team's master sponsor.
The beginning of the partnership was a bit rough for the team and drivers: between 2018 and 2021, Alfa Romeo F1 Team (Sauber) had disappointing seasons, constantly finishing at the bottom of the grid.
The team's only major bright moment in those years would be the fourth and fifth places, achieved by Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi, respectively, in the 2019 Brazilian GP.
Nevertheless, 2022 represented a resurgence for the team, with Alfa-Romeo/Sauber finishing sixth in the Constructors' standings, the team's best result since 2009, due to consistent results from the duo of Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas.
However, that year was an exception, with the team subsequently having to contend with further disappointing results in 2023 and 2024, when the Hinwil squad reverted to its original Sauber name, following the termination of its contract with Alfa Romeo.
2025: Goodbye and farewell
The final chapter of Sauber's F1 journey is set for 2025. So, what can we expect from the team for the upcoming season?
Although the 2025 Sauber team's official launch is scheduled for February 18th, at the Formula One 75th anniversary celebration event in London, the squad has not set a specific date for the unveiling of its new car.
So far, there is little concrete information about the vehicle, which, if it follows the nomenclature used by the team to date, should be known as the C45. Only concepts of the vehicle are known, with the car most likely being powered by a Ferrari engine.
The only thing that is certain at the time of this report is the duo who will wear the Sauber overalls in F1 in 2025: veteran Nico Hülkenberg, who returns to the team after 12 years, and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, who makes his F1 debut after his meteoric rise through Formula 3 and Formula 2.
With the new season already in sight, what remains is a balance of the team in its 32 years of existence.
Between 1993 and the 2025 season, 33 drivers had the opportunity to drive in at least one race for the Hinwil-based team.
In the end, for a generation that has become accustomed to seeing the Sauber name on the F1 grid, this will be a difficult farewell.
But this is part of motorsport, with its process of always moving forward, in its inevitable search for evolution and development.
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