Monisha Kaltenborn, team principal of Sauber, has left the team according to Sky Sports F1 sources.
Kaltenborn became the first female team principal in Formula 1 in 2012 after becoming the CEO of Sauber in 2010 following the team’s split with BMW and buying shares in the team in 2011, making her a part owner. If these reports are true, Sauber have been left without a captain on their voyage to this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
In her time as team principal of Sauber, Kaltenborn has had inconsistent results, securing only four podiums in her six seasons in control, with all four being secured by Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi in the 2012 Season. When Formula 1 switched to the V6 Hybrid power era in 2014, Sauber have consistently struggled ever since, securing only 38 points from 2014-2016.
Last year, Kaltenborn memorably saved Sauber from financial difficulties which may have resulted in them folding as a team, selling the team to Longbow Finance. This allowed her to maintain her role as team principal and CEO, however, team owner Peter Sauber stepped down as a result.
In the 2017 Constructors’ Championship, Sauber lie in ninth place with four points to their name following an eighth place finish by Pascal Wehrlein at the Spanish Grand Prix. This places them only above McLaren who so far have failed to secure any points in the first seven races of 2017 due to unreliability from a poor performing engine package delivered by Honda.
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