Nurturing the talent of tomorrow
The Sauber Academy was launched in 2020 to represent, in conjunction with the Sauber Karting Team, a full development pathway, designed to lead drivers from grassroots to the pinnacle of motorsport and nurture the next generation of Formula One drivers.
The programme
Under the direct supervision of Sporting Director, Beat Zehnder, the Sauber Academy provides its inductees with the training necessary to progress on their way to their ultimate target, Formula One. This will take the shape of mental and physical training, technical work with the team’s engineers, media training and work on the simulator – both for F1 and for the drivers’ respective series – in order to develop a complete and well-rounded driver, capable of dealing professionally and successfully with all the on- and off-track challenges a career in motorsport delivers.
The programme will include also training camps for the off-season and access to the most professional resources available to the Sauber Motorsport team.
The drivers
2023 FIA F2 Champion Théo Pourchaire, F2 racer Zane Maloney, F1 Academy sophomore Carrie Schreiner, F1 Academy runner-up Léna Bühler and Sauber Karting Team racer Taym Saleh are the drivers currently flying the flag for the Sauber Academy. As part of the programme, they have access to Sauber’s expertise and know-how and take part in a tailor-made development programme to complement their 2024 racing activities.
When it comes to discovering and nurturing young talent, Sauber has a proven record of success, boasting the names of Michael Schumacher, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Kimi Räikkönen, Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa, Robert Kubica, Sergio Pérez, Charles Leclerc and, of course, Zhou Guanyu among the drivers getting their big break with the Swiss outfit.
Théo Pourchaire
Théo Pourchaire made an impression as early as 2019, when he claimed the German F4 championship title as part of the Sauber Junior Team, coming on top of high-quality competition in a title battle that went down the wire. A multiple karting champion in his native France, he made the step up to the competitive FIA F3 championship in 2020, finishing runner-up in the series and challenging for the title until the final race of the season. A move to the FIA F2 championship for 2021 saw him become the youngest-ever winner of a race when he triumphed in Monaco; despite missing out on valuable points due to an injury, he was among the front runners for the rest of the season.
Théo finished his sophomore season as runner-up, after having been in the battle for the title until the final rounds; his motivation to conquer the FIA F2 champion title was accomplished in 2023, when he won the championship in dramatic fashion, having also graduated to a reserve driver role with the F1 Team following his Free Practice debut in 2022.
Théo will race in Japan's Super Formula in 2024.
Personal Details
Date of birth: 20th of August 2003
Nationality: French
Place of Birth: Grasse, France
Léna Bühler
Passionate about adrenaline sports since a very young age, Swiss-born Léna took part in BMX competitions at national and international level for about ten years before making the switch to karting in 2016. She quickly adapted to the new environment, where she got the chance to prove her abilities and potential. After several tests on track, Léna consequently decided to pursue a racing career. In 2020 she moved up to single seaters, taking part in the Formula 4 Spanish Championship. Through hard work and determination, a year later Léna took the next step on the Motorsport ladder, joining the FIA Formula Regional European Championship. She continued racing in the series in 2022, as well as taking part in the Formula Regional Asian Championship.
A busy start to 2023 saw Léna being officially inducted in the Sauber Academy, having access to the most professional resources available to the Sauber Motorsport team, with over 30 years of experience in Formula One. She set the record for podium visits during a successful 2023, in which she finished runner-up in the F1 Academy.
Personal Details
Date of birth: 9th of July 1997
Nationality: Swiss
Place of Birth: Valeyres-sous-Montagny, Switzerland
Taym Saleh
Promising talent Taym Saleh started karting at the age of 5, and it didn’t take much for the young German to show his speed. He rose through the ranks in just a few years, having collected so far national trophies and the prestigious Rotax MAX Challenge Euro Trophy.
Currently flying the flag for the Sauber Karting Team, in 2023 Taym was inducted in the Sauber Academy, having access to a complete drivers’ development programme based on Sauber Motorsport’s over 30 years-experience in Formula One. He competed in the CIK-OK Championship, a series that allowed him to grow and develop his skills further, ultimately aiming to reach the pinnacle of Motorsport.
Personal Details
Date of birth: 29th April 2009
Nationality: German
Place of Birth: Mannheim, Germany
Carrie Schreiner
Carrie discovered her love for motorsport from a young age, making her debut in the ADAC Kart Masters, Germany’s strongest karting series, in 2011. The first of many successes came in 2012, when she clinched the X30 Junior championship title – the first and, so far, only female driver to triumph in the category. The switch to single-seater racing came in 2015, when Carrie competed in the German and British Formula 4 championships, achieving several Top Ten finishes. A new challenge saw the talented German making the switch to GT racing in 2017, competing in several championships and races, including the Lamborghini Super Trofeo, ADAC GT Masters, 24 Hours of Nürburgring, Porsche Sports Cup, and making a guest appearance in a Formula E testing session in 2018. That same year, Carrie claimed the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Middle East crown in the Pro-Am category; another success came in 2021, when she triumphed in her class at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring.
A further step forward in the German’s successful motorsport career came in 2023, when Carrie was among the 15 drivers lining up on the grid for the inaugural F1 Academy season – where she drove to victory in Race 2 in Zandvoort.
Now, with the learnings from her rookie season and her already vast motorsport experience providing a solid backing, Carrie prepares to tackle her second year in the series, aiming for the coveted F1 Academy crown. As part of her pre-season preparations, Carrie will compete in the 2024 Formula 4 UAE Championship in January and February.
Personal Details
Date of birth: 14th of September 1998
Nationality: German
Place of Birth: Völklingen, Germany
Zane Maloney
Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, and coming from a family with a strong motorsport heritage, Zane got his first taste of motorsport at a very young age, when he competed, aged three, in his first karting competition, finishing second. That was only the beginning for the young driver, who went on to collect multiple karting titles both in his homeland and in the United States, before moving across the Atlantic in 2018. Quickly adapting to European circuits, that same year Zane went on to achieve outstanding results in the Karting European Championship, in the World Championships, and in the WSK Champions Cup.
2019 marked the switch to single seater racing, and an overall successful year for The Boy from Barbados, as Zane quickly became known in the motorsport world: he went on to triumph in the British F4 Championship, the first rookie to win the championship outright in the history of the series. After that, Zane quickly rose through the ranks year after year, collecting podiums and wins until his big break in 2022, when he claimed second place in the FIA Formula 3 Championship in his debut season. The impressive performance saw the Barbadian elected FIA Rookie of the Year for the season, and heralded a promotion to Formula 2, where he made a stellar debut by stepping on the podium on his debut Feature Race. Zane went on to enjoy a remarkable rookie season, collecting four podium appearances to finish tenth in the standings – and third among the rookies.
Zane will continue racing in the series with Rodin Motorsport for a new F2 campaign in 2024, now supported by Sauber Academy. With his double role as reserve for Sauber Motorsport, this is going to be a busy season for the Barbadian – but he’s not one to be fazed by high demands put on him.
Personal Details
Date of birth: 2nd of October 2003
Nationality: Barbadian
Place of Birth: Bridgetown, Barbados
