Audi on Friday introduced that it’s taking a 100% stake within the Sauber F1 staff in preparation for getting into F1 in 2026.

The automaker introduced plans to enter F1 for the 2026 season as each a constructor and energy unit provider in 2022, and purchased a stake in Sauber at the beginning of 2023. In a press launch, Audi mentioned it has now reached an settlement with present majority shareholder Islero Investments AG to utterly take over the staff, one thing that was hinted at in a March report.

Audi F1 present automobile

Andreas Seidl, who joined Sauber from McLaren in 2023, will proceed as CEO of the newly rebranded Audi staff. Seidl will function “the face of the longer term Audi Method 1 Workforce,” the automaker mentioned.

Present Audi technical boss Oliver Hoffman can even step down from his present position on the automaker’s administration board to turn into chairman of Sauber’s board of administrators, along with a place on the board of Audi Method Racing GmbH, the corporate created to supervise energy unit improvement and different facets of Audi’s F1 program past the day-to-day operating of the staff. Hoffman was beforehand head of Audi Sport, overseeing DTM and Method E packages.

Audi F1 present automobile

Sauber will function Audi’s manufacturing unit staff and can proceed to function out of its present base in Hinwil, Switzerland. The positioning has its personal wind tunnel, which is uncommon for a comparatively small F1 staff like Sauber.

Sauber is one in all F1’s longest-existing impartial groups, getting into the collection in 1993. This may not be the primary time the Swiss staff has partnered with a producer, although. It was initially backed by Mercedes-Benz, which beforehand partnered with Sauber in a profitable sports-car program. It was additionally owned by BMW from 2006 to 2009, scoring its solely win throughout this era. And it was branded as Alfa Romeo from 2018 to 2023.