Jean-Eric Vergne, future teammate of Giedo Van Der Garde?

This season, Sauber is experiencing a nightmare year as the Swiss team has not scored any points to date, with only five races remaining in the F1 championship. The Swiss team is behind Marussia, who scored 2 points thanks to Jules Bianchi at the Monaco Grand Prix. However, the two current drivers, Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez, are very close to scoring the first points of this season, but the reliability of the car remains a major weakness. Despite the progress of the two drivers, the future of the Swiss team is not assured for the 2015 season due to financial problems.

Since the Italian Grand Prix, Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll is reportedly interested in purchasing the Swiss company. His interest is twofold as his son is currently competing in the Formula 4 championship in Italy and is also a driver in the Ferrari academy, the engine supplier for Sauber.

Sauber F1 is the only option for Giedo van der Garde in 2015. At Monza, Giedo van der Garde indicated to MotorsInside that he wants to be in Hinwil next season.

If the current test driver of the Sauber team is logically expected to become a full-time driver thanks to his financial backing, one seat remains to accompany the Dutch driver: Esteban Gutierrez, Simona de Silvestro, Jean-Éric Vergne, or Sergey Sirotkin.

Esteban Gutierrez: if the Mexican driver has chances to stay with Sauber thanks to Telmex’s money and the support of Carlos Slim, there is also the Mexican Grand Prix returning in 2015. However, if Lawrence Stroll buys Sauber, will the Mexican driver have his place?

If Sauber is bought out, there would no longer be a need to have a pay driver. If that is the case, then two names stand out according to Richland F1: Simona de Silvestro and Jean-Éric Vergne.

Simona de Silvestro: The Italian-Swiss driver has shown her driving skills in IndyCar, where she managed to reach the podium with KV Racing Technology in Houston and qualify 3rd during the event in Saint Petersburg in the United States. The last time an IndyCar driver made it to F1, it was Sébastien Bourdais with Toro Rosso, but the French driver failed to adapt to the F1 world. Simona de Silvestro still hasn’t participated in a Friday test session, which would be a weakness for the driver. According to Richland F1, she could become a test driver to gain experience in Formula One.

Jean-Éric Vergne: The French driver will be replaced by Max Verstappen at Toro Rosso. However, he is a candidate for a starting position alongside Giedo van der Garde. The French driver achieved a very impressive last Grand Prix in Singapore, finishing 6th despite facing a five-second penalty. He could become the number one driver for the Swiss team. Nevertheless, he does not have the same financial resources as Esteban Gutierrez, but the Mexican’s money has not succeeded in helping the team to score the first points this season.

Sergey Sirotkin: the Russian driver is currently racing in the World Series by Renault 3.5 championship. He could share the same role as Simona de Silvestro as a test driver.

The Swiss team must first resolve its financial problems before focusing on the future driver duo.