Sauber quits FOTA

On the same day that the Formula One Teams Association met in London, news later emerged that Sauber and possibly Toro Rosso have both left the group.

The news comes just days after Ferrari and Red Bull Racing announced their decision to leave FOTA, with politics and arguments regarding the Resource Restriction Agreement [RRA] dominating the Formula One landscape.

Autosport Magazine have revealed that a Sauber spokeswoman confirmed that the team had withdrawn for reasons 'that have been fully explained to FOTA and will be kept private for now.'

Autosport were not able to confirm that Toro Rosso had officially withdrawn, but speculated that their position would likely share that of sister team Red Bull, while the team also failed to send a representative to the FOTA meeting in London.

Those two observations would seem to indicate they had left the teams association and it is probably a fair assumption to make.

Representatives from McLaren, Renault [Lotus F1], Mercedes GP, Williams, Force India, Lotus [Caterham] and Virgin [Maurissa] were all present at the FOTA meeting, but no statement on the outcome of those talks has been forthcoming.

Just like Ferrari and Red Bull, Sauber and Toro Rosso will both have to serve a two months notice period before they will have officially parted company with FOTA and speculation in the media continues to suggest that all four teams could still return to the organisation, if an agreement on the RRA can be reached.

FOTA had previously represented 11 out of the 12 teams in Formula One, with only HRT not included in the association.

If the matter can not be resolved after the two months notice period is up, then FOTA will be left in limbo and would face the possibility of disbanding altogether.