A spokeswoman for the Sauber Formula 1 team has confirmed to ESPN that it has sent a letter to the Formula One Teams’ Association (FOTA), informing them that it will no longer be part of it.
The move makes Sauber the third team after Red Bull and Ferrari to leave FOTA which, ironically, was formed on July 2008 in a meeting in Maranello in order for the F1 teams to present a unified stance in talks with FIA and the Bernie Ecclestone-owned Formula One Group that owns F1’s commercial rights.
Unlike Ferrari and Red Bull, Sauber did not issue an official statement explaining the reasoning behind its decision. We can speculate, though, that its long-lasting link with Ferrari and the use of the Maranello’s engines may have something to do with the issue.
According to Autosport, Toro Rosso, another F1 team that is not only powered by Ferrari engines but also has the same owner as Red Bull, Dietrich Mateschitz, is likely to join the trio of teams that abandoned FOTA.