In the autumn, a number of publications appeared in the European press, mainly German, the gist of which was that Audi had begun a detailed analysis of plans related to the project to create a Formula 1 factory team.
Although it was emphasized that the Formula 1 participation program was once agreed at the level of the company board of directors and the Volkswagen Group board and is still in force, fears still arose that, against the background of Through cost-saving measures, new people in Audi’s management could take a share in this project cross.
However, it seems that all this is behind us, as Gernot Döllner, the company’s new CEO, finally gave the green light to a program that would see Swiss Sauber transformed into a factory Audi team that would debut in 2026 in Formula 1.
This was reported by the German business publication Manager Magazin. It was believed that Döllner was not a fan of motor racing, unlike Markus Duismann, his predecessor. In any case, Audi has never responded to rumors of a possible withdrawal from this project, and Oliver Hofmann, Audi’s chief engineer, confirmed when asked: “Such a scenario is not being considered at all. This project is too valuable for our company.”
Manager Magazin also writes that there are no disagreements between Hoffmann and Döllner, which is also taken as a sign that the green light has finally been given at Audi’s senior management level for the project, which was officially announced in 2022.
Consequently, Ingolstadt will continue to increase its share in Sauber Motorsport to gradually increase it to 75%, and at the Audi Motorsport base in Neuburg, such a complex process as the creation of its own power plant intended for Formula 1 will continue to gain momentum. .
Once Audi publicly confirms its commitment to this project, it will make the job of Andres Seidl, currently CEO of Sauber Motorsport, much easier. They say that due to the uncertainty that accompanied the Audi program until recently, it was not easy for him to negotiate with specialists from other teams and convince them to work in Hinwil, Switzerland.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
