Source:REUTERS/Carla Carniel
[Saba Sports News] This Wednesday, Sauber F1 Team announced their second driver is Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, marking the first major decision made by new team principal Mattia Binotto since taking office. However, getting Sauber back to its peak will not be easy. As Binotto stated, it will take at least until 2030 for the team to be competitive for championships. The question now is whether the team’s owners are willing to wait such a long time. Looking back at last season, Sauber F1 Team earned $92 million in team bonuses. However, due to poor performance this season, it is expected that by the 2024 season, the team’s bonus income will drop significantly to about $74 million, a decrease of 19.6% compared to the previous year. This indicates that Sauber may face financial pressure in the near future. Against this backdrop, Sauber must find new momentum to overcome current difficulties. According to German media reports, Sauber may consider transferring partial shares of its F1 team to Qatar’s sovereign fund. As the second-largest investment institution in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia’s sovereign fund, Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund is formidable, with total assets exceeding $100 billion. The fund not only holds shares in luxury brands such as Chanel and Valentino but also invests in finance, energy, and sports industries, including well-known companies like Barclays Bank and Shell Energy.