Sauber Junior Team

Sauber Junior Team

The Sauber Junior Team is a unique driver development initiative in international motorsport and takes to the track for the first time in 2019.

Run as a partnership between Sauber Motorsport and Charouz Racing System, the programme provides talented junior drivers with a clear pathway to potentially progress from the FIA’s entry-level single-seater category to the verge of Formula 1 with a single team.

Sauber Junior Team drivers will race in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, the brand-new FIA Formula 3 Championship, the ADAC Formula 4 Championship and the Italian F4 Championship from 2019 onwards.

Frédéric Vasseur, CEO of Sauber Motorsport and Team Principal of Alfa Romeo Racing, said: “Racing is a vital part of Sauber Motorsport’s DNA and the Sauber Junior Team marks an important milestone in the company history.

“Sauber has a long tradition of helping drivers reach their full potential, having worked with the likes of Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and upcoming star Charles Leclerc.

“With this project, Sauber further extends its racing platform with a complete and dedicated programme from the junior series to the pinnacle of motorsport. We are delighted to partner with Charouz Racing System, a highly professional team that operates with success in all the series”.

Charouz Racing System

Established by Antonin Charouz in 1985, Charouz Racing System has a distinguished history of competing at the highest level in motorsport and helping to develop the careers of talented drivers.

Having recorded success in F3000, AutoGP, A1GP and the Formula V8 3.5 championships, the team successfully graduated to the FIA Formula 2 Championship and the Formula 4 category in 2018.

Despite being an F2 rookie, the Czech-based team won two races and finished on the podium a further five times. Competing as US-CHRS, the team also dominated the ADAC F4 Championship and guided Lirim Zendeli (a Sauber Junior Team F3 driver) to the series title with 10 victories.