Audi, official: Florian Büngener is the new Chief Communications Officer | FP

The project is proceeding rapidly Audi for the creation of its team, which will debut in Formula 1 in 2026 after taking over the current Sauber. In addition to the official arrival of Mattia Binotto as Technical and Operations Director and the more recent announcement of Jonathan Wheatley as Team Principal, Sauber has in the meantime appointed Florian Büngener as new Chief Communications Officer.

The German manager will start his activity from Sunday 1 September, and will remain in the role even when the Swiss team will be under the control of Audi. As specified in the official press release of the team, Büngener will supervise and direct the team responsible for all motorsport communication activities.

Büngener’s experience in the motorsport field, with roles previously held at ABT Sportsline and Fiat & Abarth, but above all at Hyundai Motor Europe, where he served as Head of Public Relations & Communications for eight years, also convinced Audi to focus on its new Chief Communications Officer: “The Audi F1 project is one of the most exciting developments in motorsport, if not the entire sporting sector at this stage, and I am delighted and determined to help it at a crucial time as we look ahead to 2026. – explained the new manager – The team has already embarked on the journey towards progressive, customer-centric communication beyond the track, and I am focused on accelerating this process ahead of the debut of Audi’s factory entry.”

These words were added by those of the former Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binottowho welcomed Büngener as follows: “Florian’s arrival helps us put another important piece of the puzzle in place, as Sauber continues to grow into the Audi factory team that will debut in 2026. – he declared – His approach, experience and drive will be essential not only to communicate our activities, but more importantly to tell our story and our values ​​to the growing Formula One audience. Florian joins the team to lead our growing communications department and will help it reach new heights.”