Sauber to drop BMW name

Sauber has indicated it will apply to drop the ’BMW’ from its official team title at some point during the 2010 season.

Although keeping the same name despite the withdrawal of its former owner, Sauber revealed a new red logo and name - Sauber Motorsport - in the days before last weekend’s 2010 season opener.

The ’S’ logo and new name was also featured on the engine cover of the Ferrari-powered C29 car in Bahrain.

The acronym of the famous German luxury carmaker, included in tiny letters on the nose of the C29, was retained in order to fully benefit from the commercial rewards of the team’s sixth place in the 2009 world championship.

But the result is the awkward FIA constructor designation as BMW Sauber Ferrari, and team boss and founder Peter Sauber said a week ago that the timing of a name change "is still open".

But the 66-year-old Swiss is now quoted as saying by autocar.co.uk: "It (the name change) will happen some time this season."