Audi becomes Sauber F1 team shareholder

Audi has taken an extra step towards its entry into Grand Prix racing in 2026 by purchasing a minor stake in the Sauber Formula 1 team.

The German brand announced at last year’s Belgian Grand Prix it will enter Formula 1 in a works capacity and team up with Sauber.

The Swiss team is currently operating under the Alfa Romeo name with Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu behind the wheel.

But from 2026 onwards the squad which has also been a factory BMW outfit for four seasons in the past will be a “strategic partner” with Audi.

At the announcement it was revealed Audi had intensions of purchasing a stake within the team, but until now it had not taken place.

Following last night’s announcement, the German manufacturer has followed through with its promise and brought a stake within the Swiss team, which has been Grand Prix racing since 1993.

Sauber was “pleased” to confirm the news via a statement.

Valtteri Bottas driving for Alfa Romeo at the 2022 Mexican Grand Prix. Image: Motorsport Images

“The Sauber Group is pleased to announce that, as per the plans outlined in October last year, Audi acquired a minority stake in the Sauber Group in January 2023,” read the statement.

“This is an important milestone on the way to Audi’s entry in Formula One, scheduled for 2026, for which the Sauber Group will be the German brand’s strategic partner.”

It is the latest step towards a new era for the team, which recently revealed Alessandro Alunni Bravi as its new team chief.

Following the departure of Frederic Vasseur to Ferrari, Bravi will perform a similar role to that of a team principal at a Grand Prix.

He will work alongside former McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl, who is Sauber’s new chief executive officer.

The upcoming 2023 F1 season will be the last the team is called Alfa Romeo, with the Swiss squad to return to its original Sauber name at the conclusion of the season.

Sauber has carried Alfa Romeo branding since 2018. Marcus Ericsson pictured driving the Alfa Romeo Sauber C37 during the 2018 Canadian Grand Prix. Photo by Jerry Andre / Sutton Images

It will continue to be powered by Ferrari engines until 2025, before turning into the full Audi works team in 2026.

Sauber’s Hinwill facility, which has been used for the entirety of the team’s existence in Formula 1, will continue to be used, but Audi is also building a separate factory in Neuberg to develop its new power unit.

On the track Alfa Romeo hopes to finish on a high with Sauber after rising from ninth to sixth in the constructors championship last year.

The first car launch will take place tonight by Haas, while Alfa Romeo reveals its last car in partnership with the Swiss team on Tuesday, February 7. The 2023 Formula 1 world championship begins at Bahrain on March 3-5.

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