Notts County owners buy BMW-Sauber

Eurosport - Tue, 15 Sep 14:27:00 2009

BMW has sold its Formula One team to Qadbak Investments, a Swiss-based foundation representing unnamed Middle Eastern interests, and expects it to compete next season despite losing a guaranteed slot.

2009 Italian GP BMW Kubica - 0

"The contract was signed today," BMW stated.

In July, Qadbak bought Notts County, England's oldest Football League club, through their Munto Finance company. The fourth-division team have appointed former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson as director of football.

BMW said the sale secured a strong investor for the Swiss-based team. It added that Qadbak's interest will be represented by Swiss national Lionel Fischer.

The Munich carmaker put the team up for sale after announcing in July that they were pulling out of the sport at the end of the season. They had bought an 80 per cent stake in Sauber in 2005.

Founder Peter Sauber owns the other 20 per cent.

The team, whose new name has yet to be revealed, has no guaranteed slot on the starting grid for 2010 after the governing FIA decided to give the place to Malaysian-backed Lotus F1.

However, the FIA said BMW-Sauber had been given a 14th place as reserve in case any of the other teams already signed up for 2010 decided to withdraw before the start of the season.

The governing body added that there was also a good case to expand the starting grid to 14 teams, with 28 cars, and would urgently consult existing entries to see if the regulations could be changed.

"We are pleased to confirm that the FIA has indicated that we may have a place in the 2010 Formula One World Championship," a BMW-Sauber spokesman said.

"The team expects to line up on the grid for the first race of the 2010 season."

BMW-Sauber could secure their place even without a rule change, with lingering speculation about the future of several existing teams.

Renault face a hearing in Paris next week to answer charges that they ordered Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet to crash deliberately in Singapore last year and help team-mate Fernando Alonso win the race.

If found guilty, they could be excluded from the championship.

FIA president Max Mosley warned last week that more manufacturers could follow BMW and Honda, who quit at the end of last year, out of the sport before the start of the season.

"I think we may lose another one, might even lose two and there's also one or two of the private teams who will find it difficult," he said.

Four new teams - Manor, US F1, Campos F1 and Lotus F1 - are due to make their debuts next season.

Reuters

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    From jenny_hummer, on Wed 16 Sep 4:20PM

  2. No that will be on the side of the Manor F1 cars.

    From the real adrian, on Wed 16 Sep 10:24AM

  3. By gum,we'll 'ave Hovis on side of car.

    From wizzo, on Wed 16 Sep 10:16AM
  4. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    HELLO MY LTTLE HOT HEADED BUNNIES, HOW ARE MY LUTTLE­ NUT CRACKERS GOING TODAY, ALL FIRED UP ON HOT CHILLI­ SAUCE, ADRIAN LOTUS WAS PAINTED BLACK AND GOLD BECAUSE­ OF IT'S TOBACCO SPONSORSHIP, JPS, YOU ONE DUMB­ BUNNY, LOTUS WILL BE PAINTED GREEN, YELLOW, OR WHITE,­ IN 1991 THE LOTUS F1 CAR WAS MAINLY PAINTED WHITE WITH­ GREEN AND YELLOW STRIPS. MY QUESTION IS HAS PETER­ SAUBER KEPT HIS TWENTY PER CENT STAKE IN THE TEAM, I­ HOPE HE HAS, THEN THIS UN NAMED TEAMED WHICH I WILL­ CALL IT SLOT 14. THIS TEAM IS GOING TO NEED TO HAVE­ ACCESS OF AN ENGINE DEAL VERY QUICK, AND HOPEFULLY­ MERCEDES BENZ AND NOT COSWORTH. THE FIA SHOULD EXPAND­ THE GRID ANYWAY TO TWENTY EIGHT CARS IN CASE TOYOTA­ WITHDRAW AT THE END OF THE YEAR OR IN THE NEXT TWO­ YEARS. MAYBE THEY SHOULD CALL THE TEAM COPPERS OR BRM,­ OR ZAKSPEED, IF THEY CAN BUY THE NAMING RIGHTS.

    From David, on Wed 16 Sep 7:34AM
  5. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Hopefully Renault will be banned. This will allow the­ old BMW team to remain and hopefully they may keep­ Kubica and probably Alonso will go to Lotus!

    From Rob, on Wed 16 Sep 4:56AM

  6. Oh My Goodness who let POTTER breed! Now we have two­ of them slaughtering the King's english.

    From Sean, on Wed 16 Sep 3:36AM

  7. They can race instead of Renault.

    From SS_A9X, on Wed 16 Sep 2:00AM

  8. Expect to see Sven starting from 16th on the grid at­ Melbourne next year.

    From S, on Wed 16 Sep 12:19AM
  9. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    itta been a lovely a weekend a papa wasa right a mr a­­ hamilton asun a the a biggest a donkey a driver a onna­­ F1 a circuit a just a ask the a audience,,, a mea­­ notice a mr a hamilton asun a fans a gone inna the a­­ hibernation a too..
    wasa lovely toa see a mr a­­ hamilton asun a spin a off onna lasta bends ,,,hea the­­ anew F1 a donkey a driver
    a Jenson a Button the anew­ a­ F1 WORLD CHAMPION 2009-2010,....mr a hamilton asun­ the­ a forgotten a man

    From POTTER ASUN, on Tue 15 Sep 8:58PM
  10. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    itta been a lovely a weekend a potter wasa right a mr a­ hamilton asun a the a biggest a donkey a driver a onna­ F1 a circuit a just a ask the a audience,,, a mea­ notice a mr a hamilton asun a fans a gone inna the a­ hibernation a too..
    wasa lovely toa see a mr a­ hamilton asun a spin a off onna lasta bends ,,,hea the­ anew F1 a donkey a driver
    a Jenson a Button the anew a­ F1 WORLD CHAMPION 2009-2010,....mr a hamilton asun the­ a forgotten a man

    From POTTER, on Tue 15 Sep 8:38PM
  11. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    itta been a lovely a weekend a potter wasa right a mr a­ hamilton asun a the a biggest a donkey a driver a onna­ F1 a circuit a just a ask the a audience,,, a mea­ notice a mr a hamilton asun a fans a gone inna the a­ hibernation a too..
    wasa lovely toa see a mr a­ hamilton asun a spin a off onna lasta bends ,,,hea the­ anew F1 a donkey a driver
    a Jenson a Button the anew a­ F1 WORLD CHAMPION 2009-2010,....mr a hamilton asun the­ a forgotten a man

    From POTTER, on Tue 15 Sep 8:38PM
  12. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    itta been a lovely a weekend a potter wasa right a mr a­ hamilton asun a the a biggest a donkey a driver a onna­ F1 a circuit a just a ask the a audience,,, a mea­ notice a mr a hamilton asun a fans a gone inna the a­ hibernation a too..
    wasa lovely toa see a mr a­ hamilton asun a spin a off onna lasta bends ,,,hea the­ anew F1 a donkey a driver
    a Jenson a Button the anew a­ F1 WORLD CHAMPION 2009-2010,....mr a hamilton asun the­ a forgotten a man

    From POTTER, on Tue 15 Sep 8:37PM
  13. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    hello my f1 hot heads, it marnio from peru.
    what is­ this notts cuunty?
    in peru we not know what this is.
    my­ friend pedro tell me they are the amature football team­ in the uk who are the no hopers.
    how can they the buy­ the bmw? f1 has gone the crazy.

    From marnio from peru, on Tue 15 Sep 7:42PM
  14. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    good news my f1 buddies, the lotus is back.
    and­ looking­ at the car in this the headline, it is the­ obvious the­ designers have gone for the retro look,­ but i not think­ they will be the allowed to keep the­ tobacco­ advertisements on the car come the next­ season.
    i the­ remember the good old days of f1 when­ lotus won many­ championships. then they had the great­ leader and race­ engineer, mr charles chaplin running­ the show. he made­ cars out of plastic. in the hot sun­ bits of the car­ body would melt. now those the days­ are the over, they­ the golden memories of the­ yesteryear when f1 was the­ mans sport and not full of­ the idiots we have today eg­ mr mosely, mr eclestoned­ and the mr hamilton father and­ son team.
    good luck to­ lotus. i hope mr chaplin has the­ smile on his face­ again

    From marnio from peru, on Tue 15 Sep 7:36PM

  15. Does this mean they will be in black & white­ livery?

    From the real adrian, on Tue 15 Sep 6:54PM

  16. Good news, I hope they get in next year.....Oh yeah,­ they will, just give Bernie some extra cash.

    From Tempoe, on Tue 15 Sep 6:20PM

  17. If the actions of Qadbak at Notts County are anything­ to go by the Magpies F1 team drivers roster will­ include Stirling Moss, Nigel Mansell with Michael­ Schumacher as head bench warmer :-)

    What with­ Yorkshire Values F1 and now Magpies F1 next year should­ provide plenty of comedy :-)

    From art_tidesco, on Tue 15 Sep 5:58PM

  18. MAGPIES F1 TEAM - doing it for Nottingham!!!

    From SixOneSix, on Tue 15 Sep 4:11PM
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