With the departure of Alfa Romeo, a spot is now opening up for a new Formula One team to enter. And with the Swiss team Sauber up for sale under its new name Stake F1 team kick Sauber, Audi has reportedly acquired a major stake in the team and will be entering the sport as a competitive team in 2026. But when former CEO Markus Duesmann, who was leading the F1 project, left the company, rumors began to spread that Audi was reconsidering their F1 plans.
However, Gernot Dollner, the new CEO of Audi, has made it clear that the company is still committed to joining Formula One. “There is a clear decision from the board of management and the supervisory boards of Audi and Volkswagen that Audi will enter Formula 1 in 2026” stated Dollner. Audi has also recently projected to manufacture their own power units to support their F1 project to be competitive right off the bat.
Sauber team principal Alessandro Alunni Bravi stated that the team has not yet made any official statements regarding the future of their partnership with Alfa Romeo. Despite Audi CEO Gernot Dollner clarifying the situation, Bravi emphasized that the Sauber group has obligations to Alfa Romeo until the end of 2023, which means that they cannot make any definitive announcements until 2024 begins.
In conclusion, The move to F1 would be a significant step for Audi, as the company has always focused on endurance racing and other series such as Formula E. With the departure of Alfa Romeo and Sauber’s availability, the road has been paved for Audi to make a grand entry into the pinnacle of motorsports. As motorsports fans, we can only hope to see the iconic four rings on the F1 grid soon, adding to the already fierce competition between the top teams.
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