Sauber may not change the name of his team, despite BMW's exit

The BMW name looks likely to remain in Formula One next season.

Peter Sauber bought the BMW Sauber team back from BMW in November and he told Swiss paper NZZ am Sonntag that changing the name of his team was "one of my smallest problems".

“The team is currently called BMW Sauber F1 Team, because we registered ourselves as such with the FIA, and that's how we will line up,” he said. "It is not decided at present when we will submit an application for a change of the name.”

BMW pulled out of the sport in summer after a disappointing year and its desire to cut costs across its motorsport programme. Sauber may encounter trouble changing the name as it will need approval from all the teams, as well as the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone.

Brawn was granted permission to change its name to Mercedes last month, a decision made on an “exceptional basis” according to the FIA.

Twitter - follow autocar.co.uk

Join our WhatsApp community and be the first to read about the latest news and reviews wowing the car world. Our community is the best, easiest and most direct place to tap into the minds of Autocar, and if you join you’ll also be treated to unique WhatsApp content. You can leave at any time after joining - check our full privacy policy here.