Audi has decided to silence the recent rumors that it would have wanted to desist from the commitment to enter F1 from 2026 with Sauber by announcing what had been clear for several months. The Ingolstadt company will acquire 100% of Sauber and will enter the world championship at the beginning of the new technical cycle, i.e. in just under 2 years.
The boards of the Volkswagen Group and Audi have voted favorably to acquire 100% of the Swiss team which is racing under the name of Stake F1 Team this season. Oliver Hoffmann, current head of the Technical Development division, will take responsibility for Audi's commitment to Formula 1 and will now become president of the board of directors of Sauber Group.
His new position, Audi says, will combine all three pillars of Audi's Formula 1 programme: participation in the Sauber team, the development of the 2026 power unit by Audi Formula Racing GmbH in Neuburg and the strategic direction and l activation of the program by Audi.
To do all this, Hoffmann resigned from his role as a member of Audi's management board. His role, that of director of technical development, ends up in the hands of Audi CEO Gernot Dollner.
“I would like to thank the entire Technical Development team for their great performance over the past few years and am proud of the exceptional products resulting from our intense work that we will bring to the streets in the coming months,” said Oliver Hoffman. “Motorsport, especially Formula 1, is my great passion.”
“I am convinced that by combining responsibilities and taking over 100% of the Sauber Group, we will further accelerate preparations for the launch in 2026. I am delighted that we were able to secure the services of Andreas Seidl as CEO of the Audi F1 Team. This is exactly the “He is the right man for our ambitious plan. Thanks to his extensive experience gained in leadership roles at constructor and Formula 1 team level, he will make a significant contribution to the Audi Formula 1 project.”
Important news also regarding Andreas Seidl. The former McLaren team principal and current CEO of the Sauber Group will become CEO of the Audi F1 Team. He will be responsible for the implementation of the Audi Formula 1 project. Seidl will also be in charge of being the reference face of Audi in the world championship Circus: therefore a 360° investment for the manager who has achieved extraordinary results with Porsche in the WEC and has revived the fortunes of McLaren in Formula 1.
“I thank Gernot Döllner and Oliver Hoffmann for their trust and look forward to driving Audi in Formula 1 together with a highly motivated team as CEO of the Audi F1 Team. We have a clear roadmap to become competitive in both Hinwil and in Neuburg. We have ambitious goals. Their realization is underway and will be further accelerated thanks to the complete takeover of Sauber by AUDI AG”, added Seidl.
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