Sauber Petronas wins final slot for 2010 grid; replaces Toyota; 26 cars next season if Renault stays

Sauber Petronas, at the hand of Peter Sauber have secured the final spot for the 2010 grid. This takes the total teams to 13 and total number of cars to 26. The final spot was made available after Panasonic Toyota’s exit. This means that any prospective buyer for the team will not have a chance to compete in F1 in 2010.

FIA’s official statement on Thursday announced its acceptance of Sauber. Renault on the other hand are looking at prospective buyers. They would run the team under their name provided they secure funding for the team. The French newspaper L’Equipe has reported that Renault president Carlos Ghosn has ordered his lieutenants to look at ways of stopping being a constructor and selling the team, while remaining as an engine supplier.

Renault’s decision is still pending. The two prospective buyers are Prodrive and Luxembourg investment fund, Genii Capital. Carlos Ghosn prefers Genii Capital while company officials prefer Prodrive. While Genii would take control of the team, Renault would still be the constructor while Genii would also fund the Renault driver development programme for young drivers. The deal with genii is supported by F1 supremo Bernie Eccelstone. On the other hand, Prodrive boss David Richards’ experience in motorsport is said to be key to his bid, and his plans would also allow Renault to withdraw from the sport immediately, remaining only as an engine supplier.

“We cannot comment on the Renault situation, but it is well known that our intention is to get into F1,” a Prodrive spokesman told Reuters news agency. “We proved our credentials earlier this year when we had a strong business case for an entry, but having had an engine deal with Mercedes-Benz in place we were not willing to sacrifice our competitiveness.”

Following Renault’s pullout, if it happened could see the number of cars reduce to 24. We still hope that the Renault would stay and a brave move would be to wipe off the bad moments that the team has gathered and win many more championships in its kitty.

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