BMW sign Petronas as main sponsor

Malaysian national oil and gas company Petronas will be BMW Sauber's main sponsor for the next four years, the Formula One team said yesterday. BMW have split with Williams and taken over the Swiss-based Sauber team, who have been backed by Petronas...

Malaysian national oil and gas company Petronas will be BMW Sauber's main sponsor for the next four years, the Formula One team said yesterday.

BMW have split with Williams and taken over the Swiss-based Sauber team, who have been backed by Petronas for the last decade.

"We are building on a long-standing association between Petronas and the previous Sauber team," said BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen in a statement after signing a contract in Kuala Lumpur.

"Petronas is a major player above all in Asia, which is a very significant growth area for BMW too."

The new BMW Sauber team will make its debut next year with Germany's Nick Heidfeld as one of their drivers. Canadian former champion Jacques Villeneuve has a year remaining on his Sauber contract but has yet to be confirmed by BMW.

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