The FIA have announced that the Sauber team will take the 13th and final spot on the F1 grid in 2010, securing the future of the Hinwil outfit and ending any speculation that some Serbian bloke might show up with a repainted Toyota.
The team, which had been owned by BMW from 2006 through to the German manufacturer leaving the sport at the end of the 2009 season, faced an uncertain future when BMW failed to sign the Concorde Agreement following it's departure announcement.
The FIA subsequently chose Lotus ahead of the Sauber team for the vacant grid slot, leaving the Hinwil team on the reserve list.
But the withdrawal of Toyota opened a space in F1 for the Swiss team, and despite speculation that the Serbian Stefan GP team might make a last-ditch effort to buy the Toyota spot on the 2010 entry list, the FIA have confirmed that Sauber are promoted back to the main list.
Peter Sauber will now complete the sale of the team back to him from BMW, in a deal that was conditional on the squad securing a 2010 entry.
Toyota confirmed earlier in the day that they had "relinquished" their entry, and as such it was not available to buy, and now the FIA have confirmed that Sauber will appear on the 2010 grid. The Sauber team will be powered by Ferrari engines in 2010, much as they were before the BMW takeover.
"The FIA has written to inform BMW Sauber AG that their application for an entry in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship has been successful," a dull FIA statement read today, "Subject to their signing the Concorde Agreement, BMW Sauber will be awarded the 13th entry in the Championship, taking the place of the departing Toyota team.
"The FIA has worked closely with the Commercial Rights Holder and the teams involved over recent weeks and is grateful for their support in achieving the best outcome for the sport."
Speculation in the press has already linked the team with an underwhelming driver pairing of Pedro de la Rosa and GP2 driver Vitaly Petrov for next season, with the likes of Nick Heidfeld, Jarno Trulli, Christian Klien and Kamui Kobayashi also said to be in the frame for a drive.
"If we signed Petrov, the Russian market would open up to us in 2011," Sauber was quoted as saying by Swiss TV channel Schweizer Fernsehen, "That is worth reflecting on. There are also experienced drivers like Heidfeld, Trulli and de la Rosa [who] lives in Zurich and would be close by."
The news of Sauber's confirmed entry elicited joy from former BMW F1 boss Mario Theissen, who said that the announcement brought a difficult time to an end.
"We are delighted that the FIA has granted our team the 13th place on the grid," Theissen gushed, "It brings to a close a difficult period of uncertainty for us.
"The team can now turn its full attention to preparing for the forthcoming season. We have no doubt that Peter Sauber and his team will justify their nomination through good performance, and we wish them all every success in the future."
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