Sauber signs Marcus Ericsson for 2015

It was announced after qualifying for the United States Grand Prix yesterday that Caterham driver Marcus Ericsson has been signed by Sauber for the 2015 season.
Ericsson moved up to F1 with Caterham for 2014 after four seasons in GP2, but he has been left without a drive at present after his team went into administration.

In an interview yesterday with the media, Sauber team boss Monisha Kaltenborn said Ericsson had made a good impression despite being in a difficult situation at Caterham. Kaltenborn stated the following:-

'We have got to know Marcus as a highly motivated driver. He did not have an easy rookie season this year in Formula One; however, he kept calm and improved continuously, mainly in the last races. We are convinced that signing Marcus can give the team a fresh impetus.'

From what Kaltenborn has stated in her interview yesterday, it is clear that Ericsson's attitude and his performances in the last few races with Caterham have convinced her to sign him up to race for the Sauber team next season. Signing Ericsson for next season could be good for the team as he brings experience from this season, also a bit of sponsorship with him and I feel that this change to Sauber's driver line up for 2015 could be very promising indeed as they look to improve.

In his interview with the media yesterday, Ericsson described his 2015 Sauber deal as an incredible turnaround in fortune amid Caterham’s problems. Ericsson stated the following:-

'Fresh from a very turbulent week, I was suddenly given my best early Christmas present ever. Sauber has put its trust in me for 2015, and it makes me proud, as Sauber is known to be one of the best teams in developing young drivers.

'It will be a great challenge. I will give my very best to develop both as a driver, and to be part of the challenge to put Sauber back closer to the front where it belongs.'

As Ericsson rightly points out he has a very turbulent week with the news that Caterham are in administration and will not race in Austin this weekend or in Brazil next weekend. But in times of trouble, another door opens and with Sauber signing him for the 2015 season, it is clear that Ericsson is happy to be with them next season.

As he states in his interview, Sauber do have an association with helping young drivers extract their potential and it could be a good move for Ericsson and his career. It is clear that Ericsson is looking forward to his new challenge starting next season and will be using his experience and doing everything that he can to help Sauber get back into the midfield where they belong as quickly as he can.

Overall, many pundits and fans will be wondering why Sauber have signed Ericsson for next season and the reason why is that they believe he has talent and potential to improve in a more competitive car than the Caterham he has driven this season. And as Ericsson points out in his interview yesterday, Sauber have helped young drivers such as Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez extract their potential and move on into a more competitive drive.

Even though Ericsson has had a bit of mixed rookie season with him making mistakes along the way (which is to be expected), but we have seen an improvement in the last few races which have helped him secure the drive with Sauber for 2015 and the chance to develop more as a driver as well. But let us not forget that the sponsorship that Ericsson brings with him to the team will also help them as well as his experience with Caterham this season.

I would say that Ericsson is extremely lucky to have landed a race seat for Sauber next season, especially with the driver market rapidly changing all the time. I do feel that Ericsson has been given a second chance in Formula One with Sauber and next season he has simply got to deliver on the track otherwise at the end of the season, he may have no choice but to leave the sport and could not get another chance of driving an F1 car again.

But at the moment, Sauber currently has Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez as its race drivers, with Giedo van der Garde as reserve. And now with Ericsson confirmed as a race driver for 2015, the question is who will be Ericsson's team mate?

With Esteban Guiterrez, Jean-Eric Vergne, Gideo van der Garde and Sauber's development driver Sergey Sirotkin in contention for the second race seat at Sauber for next season, it may come down to who can also bring sponsorship and maybe experience (especially with Guiterrez, Vergne and van der Garde).

The question is who will Sauber choose to partner Ericsson next season; only time will tell.