The multi million dollar F1 points scrap: Sauber and Manor hopeful of moving up in 2017

Sauber and Manor both hope to improve their position on the Formula 1 grid in 2017 using fresh investment.

At this level even a point of two can be worth tens of millions of dollars; the Swiss-based Sauber squad cashed in at the 11th hour with Felipe Nasr's two points in Brazil, which earned them around $35m in prize money for 10th place in the championship - at Manor's expense.

Sauber was bought by the Longbow Finance company earlier this season, while Manor's current owner recently revealed that the team has received an offer from new purchasers seeking to take it over.

The two teams spent much of the 2016 season scrapping over tenth place in the constructors' championship. Sauber was facing its second pointless season in three years thanks to its early year financial difficulties, while Manor was enjoying the boost provided by its 2016-spec Mercedes engines (the team ran one-year-old Ferrari units last year as it recovered from nearly closing at the end of 2014) and the presence of the highly rated Pascal Wehrlein and later his fellow Mercedes junior driver Esteban Ocon.

Until the penultimate race in Brazil it appeared that it would be the British squad that finished tenth in the constructors’ championship and secure the lucrative bonus payment reward from Formula One Management thanks to Wehrlein’s superb tenth place at the Austrian Grand Prix.

But Sauber and Felipe Nasr played a blinder in the treacherous conditions during the rain-soaked race at Interlagos. The team picked the right strategy for the Brazilian – full wets all the way through to help him get ahead of those who pitted for intermediates – and Nasr held his nerve under extreme pressure to deliver a ninth place finish and two vital points.

As neither Manor driver finished in the points in Abu Dhabi, Sauber gained an expected swing of $35m thanks to its final finishing position in the constructors’ standings.

“I really want to say thank you to the whole team, at the track as well as at the factory in Hinwil. Marcus [Ericsson] and Felipe did a good job as well as keeping focused, especially in difficult times,” said Sauber’s team principal Monisha Kaltenborn after the race that crowned Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg as world champion.

“What we have achieved in this tough season is credited to our team work. We have stuck together, continued to work hard and fought throughout the season. We can build on that next year and we already look forward to 2017.”

Dave Ryan, Manor’s racing director, echoed Kaltenborn’s thoughts in his own words on the Banbury-based squad’s 2016 season.

He said: “First and foremost, huge congratulations to the entire team both here and back at Banbury for the effort that has gone into this season. It hasn’t been easy but when you look at just how far we’ve come in the space of 12 months, our improvement is incredible and something to be really proud of.

“Having said that, we know we still have big strides to make, but it’s a challenge we are all looking forward to as we strive to move Manor up the grid in 2017.”

So how to do the two rivals move forwards? Ocon is leaving Manor to take Nico Hulkenberg’s place at Force India, while Wehrlein has been linked with a seat at Sauber, although he denied that over the weekend in Abu Dhabi.

Manor has been linked with a takeover by new investors and its current owner, boss of the OVO energy company, Stephen Fitzpatrick, confirmed last week that an offer was on the table. He hopes that the deal would help Manor improve its position on the grid in the future.

“We have agreed terms with an investor at the moment and we are still working through that. I can’t really talk more about the specifics,” he said.

“One of the things I was quite clear on, right from the start, was that in the current F1, money equals performance. So anything that was going to bring more funding to the team and help the team develop I was very open to [even] if that meant bringing in another investor, and even a majority investor.”

When asked if losing to Sauber in the fight for tenth place in the constructors’ championship would influence the takeover deal, Fitzpatrick explained that while it was disappointing for the team, it would not change anything with the new investors.

“It doesn’t help financially, but the terms of our agreement have been refinalised, let’s say,” he said. “[It’s] not a deal breaker.”

The Longbow Finance company took control of Sauber earlier this year. The financial investment business has links to Ericsson and he is already confirmed as a Sauber driver for 2017.

Nasr’s future with the team is less clear as his Banco do Brasil sponsor will not continue its commitment to F1 in 2017.

The arrival of Longbow helped Sauber to implement more developments and sign new staff members in the second half of the 2016 season, which suggests it may have further potential to improve on its current place on the grid next year. The location of the team’s Hinwil base could also help it attract any prospective engineers looking for work after the Audi LMP1 team closed at the end of the 2016 World Endurance Championship season.

Sauber has already confirmed that it will use the latest specification of the 2016 Ferrari power unit next season rather than the new-for-2017 engine. This could actually offer a short-term boost in terms of reliability and the Swiss team will be hoping to capitalise on this and bank points early in the season before the lack of engine upgrades pegs it back, as was the case with Toro Rosso this season.