A Pilatus PC-12 NG with special Formula 1 livery showing the Sauber C31 racing car, will fly the Sauber F1 team direct to the racetracks of Europe in 2012.

The aircraft took off on its first mission in May, flying the eight-man team plus team manager Peter Sauber to the first European race of the season, in Spain. It was able to land in Sabadell, a small aerodrome with a 1,000m runway, just a few kilometres from the circuit.

Peter Sauber was delighted with the trip: "One of the best features of the PC-12 is its ability to land on, and take off from, very short runways. It leaves us free to avoid the big, inefficient airports.

"We were back at the aircraft within a few minutes of the race finishing and airborne shortly afterwards, thanks to the smooth air traffic control service. We really can save a lot of time, and that obviously means greater efficiency and a better quality of life for our top management and chief engineers."

"Sauber Motorsport AG is the perfect partner for Pilatus. Both companies work with high-tech products and embrace Swiss values," says Fred Muggli, head of sales and marketing PC-12. "With its outstanding features and flexible operating parameters, we are confident that the PC-12 NG will provide a comfortable, safe, fast means of flying Peter Sauber's team to races right across Europe. We're delighted that the team has chosen Pilatus."

One of the Sauber cars retired from the Spanish race, but the other went on to finish fifth. The Sauber team currently lies seventh in the rankings.