Team building

Ending speculation as to which team Audi would partner with for its Formula 1 program, the brand has announced Swiss racing team Sauber as its strategic partner for the move into the top tier of formula racing.

The announcement last month that Audi would enter the ranks of Formula 1 from 2026 was big news in the world of top level motorsport, with the brand developing the new power units in line with the F1 regulations that will come into effect from that year. Audi will do the development work at its Motorsport Competence Centerein Neuburg, while Sauber, with 30 years of experience in the sport, will develop and manufacture the race car at its site in Hinwil, Switzerland to be raced as the Audi factory team.

“We are delighted to have gained such an experienced and competent partner for our ambitious Formula 1 project,” said Oliver Hoffmann, Member of the Board for Technical Development at AUDI AG. “We already know the Sauber Group with its state-of-the-art facility and experienced team from previous collaborations and are convinced that together we will form a strong team.” 

It’s not the first time that Audi has worked with the Sauber Group, the two having collaborated throughout the Audi Sport’s dominance in the Le Mans period and in developing the Class 1 touring car fir its DTM program, using the Sauber Group’s high-tech wind tunnel.

“Audi is the best partner for the Sauber Group,” said Finn Rausing, Chairman of Sauber Holding. “It is clear that both companies share the same values and vision. We are looking forward to achieving our common goals with a strong and successful partnership.”

The Australian CEO of the Audi Formula 1 project, Adam Baker is likewise thrilled with the new partnership, saying: “Sauber is a first-class partner for the use of the Audi Power Unit. We are looking forward to working with an experienced team that has helped shape many eras of Formula 1 history. Together, we want to write the next chapter starting in 2026.”

The man who started his automotive career with Holden has spent the last 11 years immersed in top level motorsport including working with Sauber in the past and is convinced that the partnership will be a successful one.

Even with the respective expertise and shared experience of the two partners, the timeframe to be ready for the 2026 season is a tight one. Development of the power unit, which consists of an electric motor, battery, control systems and a combustion engine, is already in full swing at the facility of the specially founded Audi Formula Racing GmbH in Neuburg, where more than 120 employees are already working on the project. 

Significant expansion work is also well underway at Audi Sport’s Neuberg facility that is on schedule to be completed next year and will make it the nerve centre for the brand’s Formula 1 efforts. With plans already in place for first tests with the power unit in 2025, there is little time to ‘get up to speed’, but then Audi is no stranger to tight deadlines and achieving extraordinary results under extreme time pressure – as the brand's performance in the Dakar Rally showed this year.