Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne has confirmed that the Scuderia is “working on” an arrangement to turn Sauber into a junior team.
Sauber recently backed out of an engine deal with Honda to continue with Ferrari, prompting speculation that the new deal would extend beyond a pure customer relationship.
Sauber team principal Frederic Vasseur suggested over the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend that drivers would form part of that discussion, especially with Ferrari keen to find places for youngsters Antonio Giovinazzi and runaway Formula 2 championship leader Charles Leclerc.
Marchionne believes that his team’s junior drivers need to be groomed in F1 races and endorsed the notion of using Sauber as a breeding ground.
“It is an excellent idea and something we are working on,” he said, when asked about the idea.
“We need to find a place to lay the foundations for the Scuderia Ferrari of tomorrow.”
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Marchionne has also suggested that Ferrari is eager to help support even more teams in the future, amid rumours that new entrants are looking at joining the grid.
“Maurizio (Arrivabene, team principal) has worked hard in recent months,” added Marchionne.
“Going forward we will expand the number of customer teams.
“Both with (F1 owner) Liberty Media and with the FIA, we have made a commitment to give support to the teams that are going to come. The more there are, the better for us.”
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