Bravi: Audi remains committed to Formula 1

Recently, many publications have appeared in the European press about the possible withdrawal of Audi from the joint project with Sauber and abandonment of plans to organize a factory team, which should debut in Formula 1 in 2026.

Discussions on this topic mainly focused on the results of the meeting of the Audi board of directors, held on October 23, where the company’s development strategy and very strict cost-saving measures were discussed. Despite the fact that there was no separate item on the agenda of the meeting regarding the program in Formula 1, all this still caused a new wave of rumors: reportedly, some members of the board of directors and representatives of top management from Audi criticized this program.

There was no official information on these topics, so at the FIA ​​press conference in Sao Paulo, Sauber CEO Alessandro Alunni Bravi was asked to explain how things really stand.

“Audi remains committed to Formula 1 and these plans are of course linked to Sauber,” Bravi replied categorically. “This is based not only on the decision of Audi’s board of directors, but also on the position of the company’s advisory board and the Audi/Volkswagen supervisory board.

That. The decision was taken at the level of the entire Volkswagen Group and remains in effect. If we talk about the lack of information on this topic, then everything is simple. Our team is called Alfa Romeo F1. Therefore, we adhere to certain restrictions on information until the end of the year – this concerns the future of the team and the cooperation with Audi.

In this regard, we have full respect for Alfa Romeo and do not wish to make any statements or go beyond topics directly related to the race of the season and this championship. That said, we are working hard to develop the team’s structure, we have extensive plans to strengthen the staff, and James Key (CTO) is just one of the specialists already invited, but new ones are joining every week appointments.

There is no doubt at all about Audi’s participation in the financing of the team or the development process. As you know, we have two owners, two shareholders, and the transition period, which ends in 2026, is divided into phases, and in each of them the team is managed in its own way. We act in accordance with investment and other plans and all existing agreements.”

According to Bravy, James Key, who took office at the beginning of September, is already actively involved in the C44 project, the 2024 car, and is participating in a detailed analysis of all aspects related to the development of the new chassis and influences he makes all the decisions.

“Next year’s car will not be an evolution of the C43, as we believe that the current concept has certain limitations that do not allow further modernization,” Bravi stressed. – We get a completely new car, from the chassis to the suspension.

It’s easy to identify problems, but you have to be able to solve them. That is why we work hard and the development of our company continues. New specialists are coming to us, they will be able to contribute to the creation of C44, but the answer to the question of what results we will achieve will be answered in Bahrain next year.”