Nov.23 (GMM) Sauber is shaping up to make announcements this week in Abu Dhabi.
It is expected that Pascal Wehrlein will leave the Swiss team after Sunday’s 2017 finale in Abu Dhabi, to be replaced for next year by Ferrari junior Charles Leclerc.
But Sauber’s ties to Ferrari could be getting even stronger.
We reported recently that Sauber is under pressure to also evacuate the other seat, even though it is currently occupied by Marcus Ericsson, who is very close to the team’s owners.
But Ferrari wants its other junior, Antonio Giovinazzi, to also drive for Sauber in 2018.
“We will do the (driver) announcement, I hope, in Abu Dhabi,” Sauber team boss Frederic Vasseur said.
And media reports including Speed Week and the Swiss daily Blick say there could be another announcement in Abu Dhabi.
For months, it has been rumoured that Sauber’s engines next year could be rebranded as Alfa Romeo, the Ferrari-linked luxury car brand. Italian sources say that deal is now effectively done.