F1 team BMW stick with Kubica

FUJI SPEEDWAY, Japan - BMW Sauber ended weeks of speculation Monday by announcing it will retain Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld as its drivers for next year.

Poland's Kubica is currently third in the world championship standings behind Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa heading into the Japan Grand Prix, while Germany's Heidfeld is fifth.

Austria's Christian Klien will remain the team's test and reserve driver.

"We see Nick and Robert as a strong driver pairing and Christian as an experienced test driver," BMW Motorsport director Mario Theissen said in a statement. "We are in no doubt that we will again achieve our ambitious aims with them in the team's fourth year."