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Audi has taken its first step towards entering F1 as it has acquired a minority stake in Sauber. The German brand announced a buyout of the Swiss team last year as part of its plans to join F1 in 2026. The automotive giant will have its own power unit and will use Sauber's facility in Hinwil for chassis manufacturing.
A team has already started working on the 2026 power unit in Ingolstadt, Germany. With a minority stake in Sauber now, the brand's presence in F1 is official. A Sauber press release stated:
"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. 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."
Joe Saward has also confirmed that Audi has acquired a 25% stake in the team. The German brand will acquire a further 25% stake next season but will continue to stay in the minority as the current owner will occupy the chair. This stake will rise to 75% in 2025 post acquisition of another 25% stake within the team.
"Sauber has confirmed that the German car maker has taken a minority share in the team. Although not stated this is 25 percent. Audi will take 25 percent more in 2024, but will remain minority as chair will be with the current owner. The share will rise to 75 percent in 2025."
The bottleneck Audi F1 takeover might have to overcome before 2026
A bottleneck that this entire takeover might have to overcome will rear its head in 2025 when Audi will become the majority stakeholder. Until then, Sauber can continue to run its cars with the Ferrari power unit. This is not an issue, primarily because the team would still have Sauber as the majority holder.
In 2025, however, when the German automaker takes over, will it still run the Ferrari power unit? If it does, then an automotive giant like Audi running with another car manufacturer's engine is a marketing nightmare. The German carmaker can either run a rebadged engine or swallow its pride even before a formal entry into the sport.
