Audi poised to increase F1 involvement

Sauber Group is the parent company of Sauber Motorsport, the entity which runs the Swiss F1 team.

Audi has been a minority shareholder in the organisation since January 2023 with that investment understood to increase year-on-year until 2026.

Speedcafe understands that it was intended to leave Finn Rausing, the Swedish billionaire who was the majority shareholder of Sauber, with a sizeable stake.

It’s now believed Audi has acquired complete control of the Swiss operation.

That follows suggestions the originally scheduled share transfer was creating issues in Hinwil.

Rausing, with his stake set to diminish, was thought to be reluctant to inject capital. Conversely, as a minority shareholder, Audi did not want to invest, creating a stalemate of sorts.

To remedy that matter, Audi has fast-tracked its acquisition of stock in the organisation – upping its investment to a complete buyout.

Oliver Hoffman, Audi’s head of technical development, was named as a member of the board of directors at Sauber Holding AG and Sauber Motorsport AG on February 23.

Hoffman was named a member of the board at Sauber Technologies AG on February 16.

Audi’s earlier-than-expected acquisition makes sense as it empowers the German organisation to begin restructuring and investing into the organisation in line with its own ideas ahead of 2026.

The previous schedule appeared to limit the influence Audi could have had before its name went above the door.

Audi’s increased shareholding in Sauber is also a statement of intent at a time when there were questions surrounding the seriousness of the project.

Speculation had abounded that changes at the automaker had diminished its interest in F1, with Markus Duesmann replaced as Audi CEO by Gernot Dollner.

That’s despite Dollner reaffirming his and Audi’s commitment to entering the world championship and similar remarks by Sauber team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi.

The change is not expected to be reflected in the team’s identity until 2026 when new regulations come online.

Sauber entered F1 in 1993, bringing within it Mercedes which had been absent from F1 since the 1950s.

In the 2000s, the operation ran as the factory BMW team and later under the Alfa Romeo banner, though that was a commercial agreement.

That relationship concluded at the end of 2023, with the squad adopting another commercial partner on top of its traditional ‘Sauber’ name for this season.