Audi’s F1 plans take shape as announcement looms

But amid growing indications that confirmation of their intentions for 2026 is now imminent, Audi may be the first to reveal its plans and could do so as early as this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.

After months of discussions to sort out a partner team, it is understood that an agreement is now in place between Audi and the Sauber team, which currently competes under the Alfa Romeo moniker.

Audi had originally negotiated with McLaren about a takeover of team shares, having been initially put in touch with the team and its owners through former McLaren F1 racer Gerhard Berger.

“I established the contact with McLaren,” said the DTM boss. “McLaren would have been a candidate as a partner for Audi in Formula 1.”

But the talks between McLaren’s owners, the Bahrain sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat, and Audi ultimately came to nothing. In the end, Sauber emerged as the preferred candidate following an evaluation of Aston Martin and Williams.

Discussions have now advanced with Sauber, after its owner Finn Rausing previously rejected an offer from Michael Andretti to sell the team for 350 million euro at the end of 2021.

It was suggested that Rausing insisted on the continued existence of the Sauber Group at the Hinwil site and the preservation of jobs, and also demanded a further 250 million euro as a contribution to the team in order to be sure the team was in safe hands.

In the end, Andretti walked away because of terms it could not accept.

Factory plans

With Audi, Sauber is getting a strong partner who, according to sources, is prepared to pay more than Andretti for a smaller percentage of the company. Rausing is set to remain on board as a minority owner.

There is also the promise to further develop Sauber as a factory team, very similar to how the Sauber-BMW partnership worked between 2006 and 2009.

It’s interesting to note that current Audi CEO Markus Duesmann, who has pushed the brand’s F1 entry, was head of development at the BMW-Sauber team between 2007 and 2009 and still knows the Hinwil operation from back then.

Motorsport.com understands that the plan includes continuing to build the chassis in Hinwil, where one of F1’s most modern wind tunnels is still located.

The powertrain is to be created at Audi’s site in Neuburg and thus developed and produced on German soil.

This is unlike VW Group sister company Porsche, which will develop large parts of its engine at Red Bull’s…