The clue is in the name - Formula One team BMW Sauber was launched by Swiss motorsport enthusiast Peter Sauber in 1993 after a successful career in sportscars

In their 13-year history, Sauber's eponymous team enter 216 Grands Prix, taking six podium finishes and garnering 195 championship points

The team's first podium comes at the Italian GP in 1995 thanks to Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who was given his debut by Sauber

Current Ferrari team-mates Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen also start their careers at Sauber, aged 21 and 20 respectively

Raikkonen drives alongside Nick Heidfeld, whose third place in Brazil helps Sauber finish a career-best fourth in the 2001 standings

BMW's first foray into F1 was as engine supplier to Brabham in 1982 - a year later they powered Nelson Piquet to the world title, the first ever for a turbo-charged engine

After leaving the sport in 1987, BMW return in 2000 in partnership with Williams but despite winning 10 Grands Prix the relationship begins to deteriorate and BMW look for other options

The German car giant announces in June 2005 that it has bought Sauber's team to further its ambitions in F1

Sauber bring the curtains down on their F1 career at the 2005 Chinese Grand Prix, having failed to win a race or claim pole position

BMW build the engine in Munich while the chassis is designed at Sauber HQ in Hinwil and their first car, the F1.06, debuts at the 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix driven by Jacques Villeneuve and Nick Heidfeld

It doesn't take long for the fledging team to get on the podium as Heidfeld (right) takes third at the Hungarian Grand Prix

The race also marks the impressive debut of Robert Kubica as a replacement for Villeneuve. The Pole finishes seventh but is later disqualified for an underweight car

In just his third Grand Prix, Kubica collects third behind winner Michael Schumacher (left) at Monza to add to the team's tally as they go on to end their debut season in a creditable fifth place with 36 points

After a solid start to the 2007 season, BMW are left reeling after Kubica's 180mph crash at the Canadian Grand Prix

Kubica escapes with slight concussion and a sprained ankle which means the team can celebrate Heidfeld's second place in Montreal

Team BMW continue to improve, claiming two podiums and eight fourth places in 2007 to finish the season on 101 points and in second place behind Ferrari after McLaren are disqualified

More ground is broken in 2008 as Kubica claims BMW's first pole in Bahrain and goes on to finish third, which lifts the team to the top of the constructors' standings for the first time

Kubica goes one better by capturing BMW's maiden Grand Prix win in Canada ahead of Heidfeld in BMW's 42nd race - the Pole also takes the lead in the drivers' standings

Kubica drops out of the title race after finishing sixth at the Chinese Grand Prix and ultimately finishes fourth in the drivers' standings

Going from strength to strength, BMW wrap up 2008 with 11 podium finishes in the bag and finish just 37 points behind Ferrari in the constructor race in third place with strong hopes for 2009