Team Principals
Team Principal - Peter Sauber
Peter Sauber first made contact with motorsport in 1967, when he bought a tuned VW beetle from Zurich race driver Arthur Blank. In the following year he drove it successfully in club and national races. In 1970, Sauber built his own racecar, the C1, with which he immediately won the Swiss sports car championship. This satisfied Peter Sauber's ambitions as a race driver. He was more interested in the technical aspects of motor sports and so he founded the company PP Sauber AG in Hinwil for the construction of race cars, which also offered servicing of commercial cars.
In 1986, Peter Sauber sold his garage and moved into new premises in Hinwil. This is where he built his successful sports cars and prototypes, the C9, C11 and C291 and eventually planned the C12, his very first Formula One car. In 1992, the company moved into the newly built high-technology factory in Hinwil, where the C12 was built. The following year the C12 had its debut in Formula One.
In 1995 strong partnerships were formed with PETRONAS and Red Bull, and in 1996, SAUBER PETRONAS ENGINEERING AG was founded, a joint-venture with Malaysia's national oil company. This partnership includes the construction of a high-performance engine for commercial cars and was extended to the construction of a GP1 motorcycle race engine in the year 2000.
As President of the Board of Directors, Sauber - now 59 years old - is responsible for the strategic vision of SAUBER MOTORSPORT AG. After several years, he has also taken over the company's operative leadership. Furthermore, this entrepreneur from Zurich, runs the SAUBER PETRONAS race team as its Team Principal.
Technical Director - Willy Rampf
Willy Rampf (49) has been Technical Director since the beginning of the season 2000. He is responsible for technology and the cars. On 1 December 1999, Willy Rampf, an old friend of the team, returned from Munich to Hinwil. The Bavarian from Thalheim had been with Sauber as a race engineer until the end of 1997, including three years for Heinz-Harald Frentzen. After that, the graduated vehicle engineer went to Munich for two years to work for BMW. From 1979 to 1993 he had already worked for BMW in Munich and South Africa.
Head of Vehicle Engineering - Jacky Eeckelaert
Jacky Eeckelaert (48) has been working in motor sports for 24 years and knows Formula One from his experience with Jordan, Prost and Sauber. Since 2000 he has occupied various positions at Sauber: Head of Test Team, Race Engineer for Kimi Räikkönen, Head of Track Engineering and Race Engineer for Felipe Massa. In the forthcoming season, Eeckelaert will be heading Track Engineering. Furthermore, he will be Heinz-Harald Frentzen’s Race Engineer. The Belgian from Antwerpen studied mechanical engineering at the University of Leuven.
Engine Director - Osamu Goto
Osamu Goto (55) from Tokyo, Japan, has been Engine Director since 1997. Between 1969 and 1990 he worked for Honda, at the end for seven years in Formula One. Before coming to Sauber, he worked for McLaren (1991-1993) and Ferrari (1994-1996). In Hinwil, Goto is principally responsible for special tasks and projects.
The Drivers
