After all of the turmoil caused by BMW's withdrawal last winter, it appears that the German manufacturer might have left the Sauber outfit it took over at the end of 2005 with a nice parting gift.

The C29 may not look pretty, but it has enabled the team, which is now back under the ownership of its founder Peter Sauber, to pick up where it left off five years ago, by getting on with an efficient if not astounding pre-season test programme.