Audi has made a long-term commitment to Formula 1 and will take over Sauber completely – this will also pay off in the short term, the team hopes
After Audi confirmed its intention to take over 100 percent of Sauber, the Formula 1 team’s chief engineer, Xevi Pujolar, believes it will also give the team a short-term boost
Audi will enter 2026 with a factory engine and chassis program, having already acquired a 25 percent stake in Sauber Motorsport in 2023.
There was speculation that the German manufacturer would stick with a 75 percent stake, to be signed much later in 2026. However, Audi accelerated its plans and voted in favor of a full takeover.
This has secured the long-term future of the team. And not only that: “This is certainly encouraging for the future. But we also have to think about the present,” says Pujolar, who believes that the cash injection from Audi will help to expand chassis operations over the next two seasons.
“I would say it’s important in terms of budget possibilities and what we can build over the next year and a half or two years before Audi is fully there and we are Audi. We need to do as much as we can now to build the team so we’re ready when it matters.”
“But during this time, we still want to be competitive and fight for the points in every single race,” emphasizes Pujolar. However, the start to the 2024 season has been disappointing for Sauber. So far, the Swiss team has not scored any points
The motivation boost is all the greater after Audi’s announcement: “Despite all the problems we have, it gives us energy and a positive attitude that what is coming is better and there is a light at the end of the tunnel to make sure we are successful. That’s what we want: to be successful.”
Recently, there had been speculation that Audi was getting cold feet. This happened after the replacement of CEO Markus Duesmann by Gernot Dollner, who is said to be more skeptical about entering Formula 1. The confirmation of the accelerated purchase of Sauber has invalidated this.
As part of Audi’s commitment, former head of development Oliver Hoffmann has been appointed chairman of all Sauber companies. Former McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl has been appointed CEO of the Audi Formula 1 team.
