Sauber’s team principal and chief executive officer, Monisha Kaltenborn, has left her position on the team ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The news comes after the team boss and Longbow Finance disagree about how the team should be run.
Her resignation reportedly stems from her disagreement with the new team owners regarding giving Marcus Ericsson priority over Pascal Wehrlein. Her exit has been described as “mutual” and is effectively immediately.
A statement from Sauber Holding’s Chairman of the Board, Pascai Picci, read:
“Longbow Finance SA regrets to announce that, by mutual consent and due to diverging views of the future of the company, Monisha Kaltenborn will leave her positions with the Sauber Group effective immediately. We thank her for many years of strong leadership, great passion for the Sauber F1 Team and wish her the very best for the future. Her successor will be announced shortly; in the meantime we wish the team the best of luck in Azerbaijan.”
Kaltenborn was a long term employee of the team, originally joining the team’s legal department in 2000. A decade later, she would take on the CEO position in the team, also acquiring a stake in the team. When Longbow Finance acquired the team in 2016, Kalternborn was able to keep her position, but lost her shares in the team, while Peter Sauber retired from the team. Kaltenborn was one of Formula One’s most powerful women and a supporter of women in motorsport.
No replacement has been announced by the team at this time.
