Bianchi Signed Sauber F1 Contract at Suzuka, Claims Kolles
Colin Kolles says Jules Bianchi signed a Sauber race contract just hours before his fatal crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, amid revelations of multiple overlapping deals.
Jules Bianchi signed a contract to race for Sauber in 2015 just hours before his crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, according to former HRT team principal Colin Kolles. The claim adds another layer to the controversy surrounding Sauber’s handling of multiple driver contracts in the lead-up to the 2015 Formula One season.
Kolles made the revelation during a discussion on Austrian broadcaster Servus TV, as he commented on the legal dispute between Giedo van der Garde and Sauber at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix. Van der Garde had taken the Swiss team to court, claiming it failed to honour his race contract. Kolles asserted that Sauber had not three, but six signed race seat agreements for 2015.
Multiple Contracts and Financial Pressures
According to Kolles, in addition to van der Garde, Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson, Sauber had also signed deals with Adrian Sutil, Esteban Gutierrez and Bianchi. The Bianchi contract, Kolles said, was finalised at noon on the Sunday of the Suzuka race. He characterised the agreement as a move to partially offset Sauber’s debts, reflecting the team’s acute financial distress at the time.
Sauber’s approach to driver contracts became a flashpoint in 2015, with van der Garde’s legal action exposing the extent of the team’s overlapping deals. The situation led to public criticism of team principal Monisha Kaltenborn’s management and raised questions about the practice of selling the same race seat to multiple parties.
Bianchi’s Ferrari Connection and Aftermath
Bianchi, who had strong links to Ferrari, was seen as a natural candidate for a Sauber seat given the team’s engine supply arrangement with the Italian marque. The French driver’s signing, however, was never realised on track due to his crash during the rain-hit Suzuka Grand Prix, which left him in a coma and ultimately led to his death in July 2015. Gutierrez, another driver named by Kolles, later became a Ferrari test driver.
