Sauber Hints at Engine Switch

Peter Sauber hinted on Wednesday his Sauber team could be set to abandon their Ferrari engines next season despite a strong start of the year.

The Swiss outfit, who currently lies in fifth position in the Constructors' Championship having score twelve points in six races, haven been using the Ferrari engines since 1997, and their boss believes the only way to move forward is to find a new supplier.

"We're in the fifth year of our agreement and things are going very well, but we have to look to the future," said Sauber. "As long as we have the V10 Ferrari engine we'll never be successful at the highest levels, because we'll never have a top engine.

"Now we're racing with the 049, which is the engine Ferrari used last year. If we want a really competitive motor we'll have to find our own constructor. We've grown in eight years from a team with a staff of 60 to one with 230. Now we've got what it takes to interest a major company looking to invest in the future of Formula One."