Following the news last week that BMW had had agreed to sell the BMW Sauber F1 Team back to a consortium led by Peter Sauber, Dr. Mario Theissen, BMW’s Motorsport Director and head of the BMW Sauber F1 team will choose to remain with BMW and will therefore be bowing out of Formula 1 for the forseeable future.

“I will be responsible for the motor sport activities of BMW in the future. Peter Sauber now takes control and will lead the (F1) team. For me it is an end and a new era (for Sauber) begins.” said Theissen.

The FIA has yet to confirm if the Hinwil-based team has an entry for the 2010 Formula One season, which was a condition laid down by BMW in order for the buyout to be completed. BMW initially agreed the sale of its Sauber F1 Team in the summer to Swiss foundation Qadbak, however allegations of fraudulent behaviour by a senior member of the foundation made the German marque reconsider its buyout plans for the future.

So what next for Theissen?

BMW announced on Friday that it would be dramatically scaling back it’s activities in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) for 2010, but we are hearing that a switch towards endurance racing might well be on the cards, especially with the latest M3 GTS road car arriving next spring.

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