Were it not for the explosion of interest in the Renault/Singapore scandal, the big news this week would have been the sale of the BMW Sauber team to the Swiss investment company, Qadbak. As a supporter of the team, I am relieved that it will survive (presuming that it will be given a slot in next year's championship) but I cannot help but feel that there are odd aspects to the news.
The last F1 BMW
For a start, the speed with which a deal was done is a little surprising when we remember the long months of suspense before the future of the Honda team was decided. Is there something about the BMW team that made it more attractive to interested parties or is it more a case of Honda being deliberately obstructive to buyers while the company waited for Ross Brawn to put together his offer? I am inclined to think it was the latter and that there is nothing unusual in BMW's team being snapped up so quickly.
Even so, there is something ironic in the buyer being a Swiss company. Switzerland banned motor racing after Pierre Levegh's terrible accident at Le Mans in the fifties and it has never gone back on that decision. However, there are signs, not least Peter Sauber's admirable efforts and this latest purchase, that there is a growing interest in the sport within the country, in spite of its lack of races. I guess that the facilities at Hinwil had a lot to do with Qadbak's interest anyway.
Then there is the continued development of the F1.09, evident in their recent improvement in performance and Dr Theissen's hopes for a major update to be introduced in Singapore next week. From what Dr Mario says, work has continued unabated at team headquarters as though the future of the team was never in doubt:
The F1.09 will feature a new front wing, more deeply undercut sidepods, another iteration of the double diffuser and a modified rear wing. The team will also introduce a totally new gearbox.
Theissen said: "We are looking forward to the whole show and are aiming to go on the attack with our significantly revised car."
Heidfeld added: "I've been looking forward to the race in Singapore for many weeks because I know we have some modifications ready for the weekend. Our simulation work has been very promising and the car will look great."
It seems odd to me that BMW should carry on putting money into the team after having decided to get rid of it. The usual reason given for this is that the company wants the team to remain an attractive proposition to potential buyers but I wonder if there is more to it than meets the eye. Dr Theissen himself, ostensibly a company man as their Director of Motor Sport, seems undeterred in his enthusiasm for F1 and it may be that he intends to stay with the team rather than go back to a more general oversight of BMW's many involvements with motor racing.
Whatever the reasons for these apparent anomalies, I am glad that the team is looking forward to a robust future in F1. The engine was always the company's main connection with its team and, now that we know this will not be on offer anymore, it becomes much clearer that the team was always Sauber and not truly BMW at all. Reversion to Ferrari engines is merely a matter of picking up where they left off, I think.
The possibility of Dr Theissen staying with the team is interesting in that it would show how strongly any engineer is attracted to F1. Competition is fiercer than in any other motor sport, demands greater and rewards more desirable. This is the peak, after all, and success demonstrates superiority in the engineer's chosen field.
It is all good news for the team and all that remains is that a slot be found for it in the 2010 season. Whether that comes as a result of withdrawal of another entrant or the expansion of the field to 28 cars, I don't much care. The team is part of F1 now and things would not be the same were it to disappear.