BMW Sauber..are you kidding me?

[waitey]

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/formula-1-news/227080/bmw-sauber-name-likely-to-remain/

surely this is a joke..?

why/how can they even seriously compete under the name BMW Sauber for 2010 when they are using Ferrari engines and BMW has pulled out?

Marketing wise this makes absolutely no sense. Semi-fans of the sport will be confused and to make it even worse, the car still looks like it has a BMW livery?

What is the go here?

[Sonic]

Indeed. Expect the BMW name to be dropped soon, and the livery too, as and when a sponsor signs on the dotted line.

[waitey]

I realise they were entered into the 2010 season as BMW Sauber. But the same applied for Brawn correct..yet Brawn have been able to change the name.

How can Ferrari honestly accept this and surely the other teams and the FIA would allow the name change? I still believe it is ridiculous to carry on the name of an engine manufacturer when they are taking no part in the 2010 season and are a rival to the manufacturer which is actually supplying you engines!

It's not just the name as I said. have you seen the jackets the mechanics and Kobayashi and De La Rosa were wearing. Everything looks the same as last year's BMW colours?

[Hawkmoon]

The official entry may have to be BMW Sauber to satisfy FIA bureaucratic nonsense but there's nothing to prevent Sauber from ignoring the BMW part in all their marketing etc.

Either that or they could re-badge the Ferrari engine as something else. They did it for years when the cars were a Sauber-Petronas, so now the team could be BMW Sauber-<Insert name of sponsor here>.

Having said that the FIA should just stop being obstinate and let them change the name. It is the FIA so I wouldn't hold my breath.

[CNR]

this is all about the bmw concord money how brawn gp lost the honda money when the team changed the name to brawn gp

sauber could change the name but he would have to pay new entry fee and lose any money from what bmw got last year

but the BS about a 1 off brawn to Mercedes sucks

[V12]

I don't understand though...I thought BMW DIDN'T sign the Concorde Agreement and thats why Sauber had to wait until Toyota quit to get in via the back door after losing out to Lotus. I was also under the impression that they were being treat as effectively a new team, with numbers 26 and 27 as Brawn were last year.

I suppose the fans can play their part by just referring to them en masse as "Sauber" and see if it quietly goes away, it would help if the media did likewise. A bit like when the Lotuses were officially renamed "JPS" but everyone still kept on calling them Lotuses and eventually that whole thing went away despite JPS continuing to sponsor them.

To be honest they've never been BMW Sauber to me, they were BMW from 2006-2009, and they'll be Sauber from 2010 onwards.

[Ranger]

The official entry may have to be BMW Sauber to satisfy FIA bureaucratic nonsense but there's nothing to prevent Sauber from ignoring the BMW part in all their marketing etc.

Either that or they could re-badge the Ferrari engine as something else. They did it for years when the cars were a Sauber-Petronas, so now the team could be BMW Sauber-<Insert name of sponsor here>.

Having said that the FIA should just stop being obstinate and let them change the name. It is the FIA so I wouldn't hold my breath.

Peter Sauber has said that he hasn't applied for the name change yet.

Pretty sure he will get it when he applies.

[waitey]

Peter Sauber has said that he hasn't applied for the name change yet.

Pretty sure he will get it when he applies.

"It is not planned (to change) before the start of the season," he explained at the launching of the new C29 car in Valencia on Sunday afternoon. "We have entered the 2010 season as BMW Sauber and that is the name."

With the recent tumultuous months having left Peter with little time to discuss a name change with F1 governing body the FIA, is engine provider Ferrari likely to disagree with the BMW mark? "No - it's okay for most," Sauber added.


Doesn't look like it though does it? This is my whole point, why would he not PLAN to change it!? it makes absolutely no sense. yes peter, you entered the name as BMW Sauber, but BMW is not there anymore, why don't you apply for a change?

[turismo6]

I can't see anyone having an issues with Sauber dropping the BMW name. Its not like there asking to run last years car, or maybe there 08 car!

[JasonD]

Does the name have to do with the money that BMW Sauber would have earned based on last years points tally? If Sauber dropped the BMW part of the name would that be then classified as a new team thus no purses/TV revenue from the past year?

[V12]

Its hardly unknown for a team to change name over the winter but still retain the various rights that came with the old team's finishing position...

Stewart->Jaguar->Red Bull
Ligier->Prost
Jordan->Midland->Spyker->Force India
Tyrrell->BAR->Honda
Sauber->BMW (or BMW Sauber if you must) in the first place
Minardi->Toro Rosso
and of course Brawn->Mercedes this season

Why has this become such an issue over the past couple of years (i.e with this Sauber thing, and of course Brawn losing Honda's ninth placed finish when they changed name)

[jens]

Well, remember last year? In retrospect maybe Honda would have liked to carry on their name in the name of the successful car and get some extra advertising for much smaller amount of money or with whatever they were funding Brawn that year.

Why shouldn't BMW be interested in keeping their name in the team name, considering that they won't be funding the team any more, but if the car is competitive, they can get almost free advertising for one more year? We don't know for sure either, under which conditions did BMW sell the team back to Sauber.

But by putting this theory aside, I'd generally expect the name of the team to be changed in March. :p :

[cathedral]

i just love formula one. the ultimate motorsport machine!