Former STR man Xevi Pujolar joins Sauber F1 as head of engineering

Former Toro Rosso man Xevi Pujolar has joined Sauber as new Head of Track Engineering, emphasising the fact that under its new ownership the Swiss team is now able to bolster its strength by hiring new people.

Spaniard Pujolar was most recently at Toro Rosso, where he was Max Verstappen's race engineer, but the 43-year-old left the team earlier this year amid some acrimony. He previously worked for Williams, and was Pastor Maldonado's engineer when the Venezuelan won the Spanish GP.

He has already started at Hinwil and will take up his race weekend role from Singapore onwards. Paul Russell, who has been filling the role of Chief Race Engineer on an interim basis, will return to his previous position as Head of Performance Integration.