Felipe Nasr's hopes of retaining his seat at Sauber have taken a major hit following the news that Banco do Brasil is to end its sponsorship of the Swiss team.

"The sponsorship of the Sauber F1 team will not be renewed at the end of the season," said the bank in a statement issued as the final race weekend of the year got underway.

"During negotiations with the team, Banco do Brasil made a condition that the renewal of the sponsorship agreement depends on the arrival of other Brazilian sponsors, which did not happen.

"Banco do Brasil recognised Felipe Nasr's talent and is proud to be the sponsor that was responsible for his entry in to F1. However, for budgetary reasons and, due to a review or our marketing strategy, we understand how necessary it is to review investment in the category."

The news comes just two weeks after Nasr scored the two vital points that saw Sauber leapfrog Manor to take tenth in the team standings, an achievement the youngster hoped might help him secure his drive alongside Marcus Ericsson.

In recent days Pascal Wehrlein has been linked with the Hinwil drive leaving, ironically, Manor as Nasr's only hope of a 2017 drive.

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