More evidence Sauber becoming the de facto Mexican F1 team

With behind the scenes involvement by the richest man on the world, Carlos Slim, the Sauber F1 team is expected to eventually run two Mexican drivers, Sergio Perez and GP3 champ Esteban Gutièrrez , and be the de-facto Mexican team. Now comes word that Sauber Motorsport has agreed a partnership with Interproteccion. The Mexican insurance group will become a Sauber F1 Team Premium Partner on 1st January 2011, and its logos will be displayed on the rear wing endplates of the Sauber C30-Ferrari, the drivers’ overalls and team clothing.

Interproteccion is Latin America’s leading insurance group and has its headquarters in Mexico. Boasting over 30 years of experience, Interproteccion is present in more than 100 countries around the world.

“We met the key people from Interproteccion for the first time at the Brazilian Grand Prix in November, and are very pleased that we’ve been able to come to an agreement so quickly," says team principal Peter Sauber. “Interproteccion is present in over 100 countries, and the international nature of Formula One offers correspondingly broad potential for synergies. We’re particularly happy, of course, that in Interproteccion we’ve now added a second Mexican company to our list of partners alongside Telmex."

Interproteccion CEO Juan Ignacio Casanueva adds: “We are proud and thrilled to be a partner of Sauber Motorsport, who have signed the two talented Mexican drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Gutièrrez for next season – Sergio as a race driver, Esteban as a test and reserve driver. Interproteccion is always aiming to achieve the highest standards, with both our clients and our partners. And supporting talented young drivers like Sergio and Esteban is a way of saying ‘we believe in Mexico, we believe in success’."