Nasr lands second Sauber seat

Williams third driver Felipe Nasr has been confirmed as a Sauber race driver for 2015, alongside Marcus Ericsson.

Basically the Swiss team has taken the two drivers on the market with the biggest budgets. Adrian Sutil had a firm two-year deal and presumably will have to be paid off, while Giedo van de Garde had been confident that he had the seat.

Team boss Monisha Kaltenborn said: “We have been following Felipe’s career path for some time now, and he fully deserves his position in Formula One having had a very successful career in junior categories. We are happy that he will be driving for our team next year. This means that Brazil will have one more young and talented driver in the sport. Banco do Brasil has been an important partner for Felipe so far, and we are delighted that such a renowned company is continuing to support him during this important step. We look forward to this partnership.”

Felipe Nasr added: “It is a very important step in my career to sign with the Sauber F1 Team for the 2015 Formula One World Championship. This is an unforgettable moment that I owe to all of those who have supported me – my family, my friends, my sponsors, my teams and my country. Today the dream has come true. Sauber was responsible for the arrival in F1 of great names such as Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen, Robert Kubica and Sebastian Vettel. I am proud now to also be part of this racing family. I had a wonderful year at Williams Martini, where I learned a lot and prepared myself to be a race driver in Formula One.”