No pressure on sponsor-less Kobayashi - Sauber

Sauber boss Monisha Kaltenborn has played down suggestions Kamui Kobayashi’s future with the Swiss team depends solely on his efforts to find a sponsor.

It is believed the Hinwil based squad is - to please its major backer Telmex - on the brink of signing its Mexican reserve driver Esteban Gutierrez to partner Nico Hulkenberg in 2013.

Japanese Kobayashi, who has been with Sauber since 2010, admitted recently he needs to urgently find some financial backing.

Kaltenborn, however, said the team signed Kobayashi in its moment of need just after the BMW withdrawal, but still didn’t ask him to bring any sponsors.

So when asked if Kobayashi needs a sponsor now, she insisted: "No.

"I don’t think it’s right to now suddenly make it an issue, and there is no pressure on him. It’s about what he does on the track," Kaltenborn told PA Sport.