APRIL 10, 1995

Welti on the prowl

Former Porsche Competitions Manager Max Welti was in Buenos Aires for the Argentine Grand Prix. The 42-year-old Swiss says he is discussing jobs with at least four Formula 1 teams.

Our spies tell us that he is talking with Sauber and McLaren in particular. Welti has long-established links with Peter Sauber, for whom he was motor sports manager throughout the 1980s, after he stopped his own racing career. Welti played an important role in forging the successful alliance between Sauber and Mercedes-Benz, which went on to dominate the World Sportscar Championship. In 1990 Welti left Sauber to be in charge of the Porsche F1 project with Arrows. This was a disaster because the engine was hopelessly uncompetitive and Porsche quickly withdrew, leaving Welti to organize sportscar races and the one-make Porsche Cup series, which is a feature of most GP programs during the European season.