Kaltenborn expects European decision 'soon'

Sep.12 - Monisha Kaltenborn has tipped the European Commission to rule on the fairness of the governance and income distribution in formula one "soon".

At Sauber and Force India's behest, the anti-competition authorities are investigating whether the way the big teams receive the lion's share of the annual prize money, and wield the most decision-making power, is fair.

The Swiss team Sauber, led by boss Kaltenborn, almost collapsed in 2016 but has been rescued by a mysterious Swiss-based investment group.

Some Swiss newspapers, however, had already written off the Hinwil based team.

"Of course you can always criticise," Kaltenborn told Auto Bild, "but they should also consider if they have the expertise to do so.

"I find it presumptuous to have written us off, because for 40 years we were great partners for formula one from Switzerland, which is not known for its motor sports industry," she added.

Asked if the rescue deal means Sauber is still pushing for fairer revenue distribution, Kaltenborn insisted: "Absolutely!

"All this changes nothing with respect to our position with the EU Competition Commission," she added.

As for when the Commissioner might rule, Kaltenborn answered: "We are confident that it will be soon.

"We are not in any way doing this to get more money. The distribution of money and the way the decision making is done simply gives some teams a privileged position and therefore a competitive advantage."

So with Sauber secure for now, Kaltenborn said the team's ambition is to "stabilise".

"What we will not do, as was the case with BMW, is to increase everything. If we expand selectively and specifically, we can get back to working on our efficiency, which has always been our strength," she added.

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