FOTA supports Swiss team after BMW exit

The FOTA group on Wednesday said it will support moves for the Hinwil based team to continue in Formula One following BMW's decision to withdraw from the sport.

"FOTA teams have immediately consulted each other and are ready to assure all the necessary support to the Swiss based team, whose membership in the association is confirmed, to continue its involvement in F1," said the teams association's secretary general Simone Perillo.

In the same statement, it was revealed that one possible FOTA initiative is the introduction of an additional car per team.

Not even three hours after BMW's shock announcement from Munich, it is already rumoured that founder and 20 per cent shareholder Peter Sauber, or the Spanish outfit Epsilon Euskadi, could now step in to run the team.

German driver Nick Heidfeld admitted the news caught him completely by surprise.

"I'm not going to lose sight of my ambition to reach the top in Formula One," he said. We'll now be looking at various options under these changed circumstances."