Sauber has announced new partnerships with three Russian entities and says it will employ Sergey Sirotkin as a race driver in 2014.
The Swiss team has been under severe financial pressure in recent months and was in dire need of some new funding.
The three organisations involved are the Investment Cooperation International Fund, the State Fund of Development of North-West Russian Federation and the National Institute of Aviation Technologies. The head of the last-named is Sirotkin’s father.
Teenager Sirotkin finished third in Auto GP last year and currently lies eighth in the Renault 3.5 series. The fact that the team has in effect announced him for next season suggests that Nico Hulkenberg will be released to go elsewhere, assuming that the team retains its Mexican support and Esteban Gutierrez.
The team says that Sirotkin will benefit from a development programme, so one might guess that he will be doing some FP1 sessions, given that it has already announced its line-up for the Young Driver test.
A Sauber statement said: “With the National Institute of Aviation Technologies, one of the leading scientific research institutions in Russia, the Sauber F1 team will benefit from the advanced know-how of the front-end Russian scientists and engineers. The objective of the partnership is to open up new perspectives and revenue streams by commercialising jointly developed technologies.
“The partnership includes further activities for the promotion of the inaugural Formula 1 Grand Prix in Sochi in 2014 and attracting the talented young Russian generation towards motorsport. In particular, a development programme will be set up for the Russian driver Sergey Sirotkin to prepare him as a racing driver for the team in 2014.
“This extensive co-operation will showcase Russian innovation at the pinnacle of motorsport. At the same time, the Sauber F1 Team will have a solid foundation to increase its competitiveness on a long-term basis.”
Adam Cooper F1 
partnership don’t mean sponsoring, so who will refund Sauber ??
I think Sauber will carry some Russian sponsorship.
So what about Sauber’s plans with Robin Frijns?
(I suspect this announcement means bad news for him because he has no sponsors and as long as Guitterez keeps up his upwards climb in performances than I don’t see Sauber cancelling Guitterez his contract…)
Oh good, just what the sport needs, another young lunatic with more money than experience behind him making life difficult for everyone else.
I dont know honestly if this is any help. Ok, they will get a budget, but in the deal comes also a young gun that is supposed to get a race seat. Too bad that there is no room for talent anymore in this sport.
Oh cry me a river. Pay drivers have been part of the sport since forever, e.g. see Frank Williams Racing Cars in 1975-76. And there’s always room for talented drivers, there are quite a few right now in F1. If anything F1 in the past decade has had a much higher ratio of talent vs pay drivers than in the past… Go tell the kids to get off your lawn and don’t pollute the net with your moaning.