Could Audi put it in reverse and leave F1?

Audi management is reviewing plans for 2026, when the German carmaker’s factory team should debut in Formula 1, for which it has already acquired a stake in Sauber Motorsport.

Implicit rumors that Audi might still change its mind have been circulating for some time, but yesterday a publication on the subject appeared in the German magazine Spiegel, and today many European publications, mainly German ones, are writing about it.

Spiegel reported, citing sources within the Volkswagen Group, that plans to enter Formula 1 are “being analyzed in detail”, and this is one of the consequences of changes in Audi’s management, as well as measures taken to reduce costs.

However, according to an official Audi representative quoted by Reuters, the program for participation in Formula 1 was agreed at the level of the company’s board of directors and the board of the Volkswagen group and remains in force.

Audi has already invested very serious money in this project, and this is not only the acquisition of Sauber shares, but primarily the creation of a special engine building department in Neuburg, where the development of a power plant for the future Formula 1 team is at full speed.

But the main initiator to join Formula 1 was Markus Duismann, and on September 1, Gernot Döllner, who also heads the strategic planning department of the entire Volkswagen concern, became the new executive director of Audi.

Sauber Motorsport has not yet responded to the publication in Spiegel.

German publications, including specialized publications on automotive topics, emphasize that the revision of Audi’s plans is only one of the possible scenarios for further developments. But if it is implemented, it will inevitably not only cause huge image losses, but also cost the company a lot of money.

Auto Motor und Sport calculated that if plans regarding Formula 1 were abandoned, the company would suffer losses approaching one billion euros.