Likely candidates for seats in the Audi team

Audi management is trying to put an end to rumors that the plans for the organization of the factory team may be adjusted, including the discontinuation of the Formula 1 program.

We quoted Gernot Döllner, CEO of the Ingolstadt company, in a recent interview with the business magazine Handelsblatt: he assured that all plans remain in force, that is, they remain in force. The Audi factory team, founded in collaboration with Sauber, should make its debut in Formula 1 in 2026.

There are many assumptions about its composition, but if you analyze the situation on the pilot market and estimate what factors may influence it in the coming years, then it is quite possible to identify the five most likely candidates. Here are the top five according to Planet F1:

5. Liam Lawson

The 21-year-old New Zealander fought for the title of champion of the Japanese Super Formula series this year, where he was sent by Red Bull mentors to gain racing experience, and Liam was among the contenders for victory in this series until the final leg of the season. Moreover, the circumstances were such that he unexpectedly made his debut in Formula 1, replacing the injured Daniel Ricciardo at the wheel of AlphaTauri.

Liam competed in five Grand Prix, earning points in Singapore and generally performed very well. There is a possibility that he will receive a contract as a prize driver in 2025, but there are rumors, for example, that Red Bull Racing is trying to sign Lando Norris from McLaren, so the vacancy may not open up. There may be other circumstances that prevent Liam from continuing his career at Red Bull, and it cannot be ruled out that Audi will pay attention to him.

In previous years, Red Bull management has released drivers like Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly to other teams – we’ll come back to both later. One drives for Williams, the other for Alpine and both achieve good results. Given that Lawson has quickly established his reputation as a fast and smart driver, why wouldn’t Audi approach Red Bull with a business proposal?

4. Nico Hulkenberg

On the one hand, the German driver will turn 37 next year, but he still shows very respectable skills, especially in qualifying. He showed the second fastest time on the wet asphalt of the Canadian circuit, started from fourth position in the sprint in Austria, and there is no doubt that Nico has not lost his talent for speed over the years.

Moreover: Hulkenberg returned to action after a three-year break, and before that, i.e. until 2019 he played for the Renault factory team and he really has a lot of experience. By the way, he also worked with Sauber once and knows this team quite well. Moreover, he is now the only German driver in the world championship, which is also one of the factors that Audi takes into account.

There is no doubt that he will be happy to accept the new challenge and will be ready to participate in a project that is much more promising than Haas F1, as the American team finished the season in last place in the Constructors’ Championship.

3. Esteban Ocon

The French driver’s contract with Alpine F1 expires at the end of 2024, and if you remember that the Renault factory team was in a fever last year due to an unexpected change of the entire top management and disagreements with the management of the concern, then you should not be surprised if Ocon or Pierre Gasly are willing to accept Audi’s offer.

There is little hope that Alpine will improve sharply and really compete next season with at least Aston Martin and McLaren, who have knocked it out of the top five of the team rankings. If the drivers dream of participating exclusively in racing and not being distracted by problems not directly related to motorsport, then it is quite understandable if they are already thinking about changing teams.

2. Pierre Gasly

The motives for saying goodbye to Alpine are the same as those of his partner, but in Pierre’s situation there are two differences.

At the end of his first season with Alpine, Gasly was ahead of Ocon, although only by 4 points, but in the second half of the season he was faster than his teammate more than once, despite Esteban already having much more experience with the team. where he has been playing since 2020.

Moreover, we can say that among the championship drivers, Ocon is one of the most “humble guys”; in particular, he does not attract much attention from the press. In this regard, Gasly is a brighter character in the paddock, and this could become an important factor for Audi, as the company will immediately have to start actively promoting its brand.

It can be assumed that of the two Frenchmen, Pierre will be the most attractive candidate for Audi.

1. Alex Albon

Alex looks so good behind the wheel of Williams and is showing such results that the top teams may take notice of him. On the one hand, it seems that Albon feels quite comfortable in the Grove team, and they are pinning their hopes on him for further progress. On the other hand, the general consensus is that such a driver deserves a seat behind the wheel of a faster car – in theory, that car could be an Audi.

Who didn’t make it into the top five…

These are the five most logical candidates, but there are others, for example Carlos Sainz, whose contacts with Audi have been rumored for several months. But it looks like Ferrari is ready to extend his contract, and then it makes sense for the Spaniard to stay at the Scuderia.

There is Sebastian Vettel, who retired last year, but does not lose touch with motorsport and takes part in demonstrations behind the wheel of historic cars, and if Audi makes the four-time world champion an attractive offer, will he find the strength to refuse ? By the way, he lives with his family in Switzerland, and Hinvil is not that far from his estate…

Valtteri Bottas should also be on the candidate list for the Audi factory team, although not in the first place. Finn has said more than once that he is ready to continue working with this team, for which he has already spent two seasons. However, his results in 2023 are uninspiring, and that’s putting it mildly.

Guanyu Zhou could be interesting for Audi, as this brand has had very strong positions in the Chinese market for a long time and these certainly need to be strengthened. But perhaps this is the only argument in favor of Zhou.

It seems that Mick Schumacher cannot but be on the candidate list for Audi – he has a big name, a German passport and experience of two seasons in Formula 1. But at some point Haas refused his services, and this is a strong argument against the son of a seven-time peace champion. Mick will race for Alpine in endurance racing in 2024 and his chances of returning to F1 are slim.

Theo Pourcher is a driver in the Sauber youth program and reigning Formula 2 champion, but he won the youth series title with just one win all season. In 2024 he will compete in the Japanese Super Formula – if he achieves more success there, maybe Audi will pay attention to him, but overall they need someone smarter.