The Swiss-based Sauber team will launch its 2010 challenger in Valencia on January 31st the team announced on Wednesday, just one day before pre-season testing gets underway in the Spanish city on February 1. The team, which continues to be known as the BMW Sauber F1 Team despite the withdrawal of BMW from F1 at the end of 2009, is the first to officially confirm plans for its 2010 launch.

The unveiling will take place at the Cheste circuit on the outskirts of Valencia on the Sunday, with the year's first three-day test due to begin on the following Monday. The car is expected to be called the C29, continuing Sauber's naming scheme before it was taken over by BMW in 2006. Team principal Peter Sauber, technical director Willy Rampf and both their drivers will be present at the launch, although only one of the drivers has thus far been confirmed. Kamui Kobayashi was announced as a driver for the team in December, with Pedro de la Rosa hotly tipped to secure the second seat.

Many more teams are expected to launch their cars in or around January 31st, after plans for a common all-team launch was scrapped late last year.