Driver required by Audi in Q3 2023

Audi has begun preparations to enter Formula 1, which is scheduled for 2026, but the leaders of this project are trying to avoid talking about the racers who may be behind the wheel of future cars.

It is logical to assume that Audi would be interested in partnering with German racers, including Mick Schumacher, but Audi Formula Racing CEO Adam Baker responded evasively when asked directly about this.

“Of course it would be tempting, but our priority will be the results the riders are capable of. However, before their choice is too far off, Baker said in an interview with DPA. – We have not even started discussing which of the riders we will be working with in 2024, and even more so it is difficult to say how the situation in the pilot market will change closer to 2026.

But in the third quarter of 2023, we plan to bring in a driver who will work on the simulator, which will be especially important when building our power plant in Neuburg. For the first time since 2009, race engine development is taking place in Germany and we are looking for people who already have F1 experience, but in this case we will probably have to look for them in the UK, France or Italy.”

But the Audi cars will be made in Hinwil because the attempt to succeed in the World Cup will be made in an alliance with Sauber Motorsport, and Andreas Seidl has already been appointed CEO of this company. At the same time, the question of the team leader’s candidacy remains open, because after Frederic Vasser’s move to Ferrari, this position remains vacant. According to the Swiss tabloid Blick, Mike Krak, who currently heads Aston Martin F1, is one of the main candidates at Audi.

Krak once worked with a team from Hinvil, which is of course a plus, but the problem is that he has long-term commitments to his current employers. But in the future, Mattia Binotto, who until recently led the Ferrari team, may replace him – but, as the author of the text in Blick points out, these are all nothing more than rumors.