Ex-Renault boss Frederic Vasseur to lead Sauber after British F1 GP

Former Renault Formula 1 chief Frederic Vasseur will join Sauber as Team Principal after the British Grand Prix following Monisha Kaltenborn's departure.

Kaltenborn left the Swiss outfit in June after five years in the job before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with the team citing "diverging views" as the cause. As the first female Team Principal in F1, Kaltenborn also owned a third of Sauber until 2016.

Vasseur will become Managing Director and CEO of Sauber Motorsport as well as its Team Principal on July 17 having left former team Renault in January by 'mutual consent'.

President Jerome Stoll and Managing Director Cyril Abiteboul now run Renault after Vasseur's resignation from his Team Principal role, which he held for a single season.

"I’m very proud to be joining Sauber Motorsport AG, and wish to thank the company’s shareholders for their trust in me," said Vasseur.

"I’ve been impressed by the facilities in Hinwil and by the talent and ambition of the workforce, and I very much look forward to complementing the team with my experience and determination and drive all people in the right direction in everything they do: I am convinced that all together we will achieve ambitious targets.

"I cannot wait to start working with our drivers, engineers and all the staff. I look forward to contributing to the next important phase in the development of the team."

"Frederic Vasseur’s long and successful career in top level international motorsport speaks for itself, and we are thrilled to welcome him to Sauber," said Chairman Pascal Picci.

Former HRT boss Colin Kolles had been touted as Kaltenborn's replacement but Vasseur quickly emerged as front-runner for the job. His appointment comes after Sauber agreed to use Honda engines from 2018, with the team currently using Ferrari's 2016-spec engines.

It is a smart move by Sauber's board as Vasseur is a quality operator and will be able to move the team forward provided he is given the resources and backing. It's also clever as an insurance policy in case anything goes wrong with Sauber's engine supply deal with Honda from 2018. Vasseur may have left Renault under a cloud, but he still has strong ties and also he is a long time friend and ally of Mercedes' motorsport Boss Toto Wolff, who has a potential supply of engines available after Manor failed at the end of last season.

Sauber sits ninth in the constructors' standings before the British GP this weekend, with five points, all earned by Pascal Wehrlein.