Sauber confirms new team structure
Date published : 08 Jan 2010 - 11:13:32
Peter Sauber has announced the new management structure at his eponymous team following the departure of former owner BMW.The Swiss veteran, the Hinwil-based squad's founder, re-took control of the team in November following the collapse of mysterious investment firm Qadbak's takeover, BMW having decided to quit Formula 1 four years on from purchasing the team from Sauber.With BMW's employees including former team boss Mario Theissen and managing director Walter Riedl now having returned to work on other projects for the German carmaker in Munich, Sauber has confirmed that he becomes the new president of the board of directors as well as team principal once more. However, the 66-year-old will not oversee day-to-day operations at the squad's Hinwil base, with that role being fulfilled by Monisha Kaltenborn who becomes the current grid's first female managing director.Kaltenborn, 38, has previously held the post of head of legal affairs at the team and has been on the board of management since 2001. Team stalwart Willy Rampf will continue to be in charge of the squad's technical and engineering departments in his role of technical director.Sauber's son, Alex, meanwhile joins the team to head up its marketing activities, the 36-year-old having worked as a commercial director in Swiss professional football for the past two years.Urs Jampen returns to the team as finance director after a 18-month hiatus, while Jürg Flach joins the board of management as director of operations with overall responsibility for production.Peter Sauber said of the new structure: Formula 1 is constantly changing. This division of responsibilities not only meets the demands of the sport, but also freshens things up within the company. I will keep myself informed on all important developments, but will leave operational matters to the management in Hinwil.Despite BMW's F1 withdrawal, the team will currently continue to be known as BMW Sauber and has already confirmed it will launch its 2010 car in Valencia on January 31.
