Sauber have today confirmed that Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez will drive for the Swiss outfit in 2012.
Team Prinicpal Peter Sauber has long been a pioneer of bringing in fresh, young talent into F1 and his current driver line up fits the bill; Kobayashi is just 24 while rookie Perez is only 21.
Moreover, the team has made great strides since BMW's departure at the end of the 2009 and currently lies sixth in the constructor's standings with 35 points.
The car's kindness to its tyres have given the team plenty of freedom strategically and the way both drivers have managed them has been impressive to say the least.
Retaining such a hungry driver line up for 2012 was the only logical decision.
Sauber said: "We are very pleased with our drivers.
"Kamui has grown into his role extremely well this year.
"Though it is only his second full Formula One season, he is already taking on the responsibilities that naturally fall to the more experienced driver in the team.
"We had an option of working with him in 2012 and there was never any doubt that we would take it.
"Sergio has achieved more than one could expect from a rookie.
"From the very first race he proved that he is capable of driving not only fast but consistently as well and after the accident at Monaco he demonstrated that he can handle difficult situations too.
"From the outset we had already signed a contract with Sergio that went beyond 2011.
"With a rookie that always entails a certain risk, of course, but clearly it has paid off."
The decision sees the exciting Kobayashi remain at Sauber for his third full season in F1 to continue his rapid development, although it does seem inevitable that many of the front runners have been keeping a watchful eye over the rising Japanese star.
Perez, meanwhile, has proved to be a very capable rookie, as well as bringing in sufficient sponsorship through Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim.
He should improve further in his second full season with the team and as part of Ferrari's young driver programme, the Mexican will undoubtedly be on their radar.
Third driver Esteban Gutierrez, also from Mexico, will retain his role with the team for 2012 and Sauber praised the contribution of the 19 year old reigning GP3 champion.
He said: "Esteban's career is advancing in steady strides.
"After his commanding victory in GP3 it was a logical step for him to move up into GP2, where he has now taken his first win.
"He will then enter Formula One when he is ready for it.
"For us he has been a firm fixture of the team since 2010, and we will continue to support him on his way towards Formula One."
Josh.
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