Jordan Questions Audi F1's Unstable Foundations

Jordan labels Audi F1’s tactics as flawed while Sauber remains winless.

Eddie Jordan Questions Audi’s Approach to Its Upcoming F1 Venture, Which Will Utilize Sauber’s Foundations from 2026

Former team boss Eddie Jordan has raised concerns over Audi’s strategy for its future Formula 1 project, which will take over the Sauber operations starting in 2026. Jordan suggests that the Swiss team’s nationality is problematic, as is the belief that substantial resources alone are insufficient.

“I have my doubts about Audi,” Jordan told Coulthard on the Formula For Success podcast. “You and I are close friends with Allan McNish [Audi’s head of motorsport coordination], and we wish him the best, but he has embarked on a very large task, a substantial operation.”

“Building a car and running it from Switzerland, with the manufacturing involved, is a big ask. When was the last time you saw a Swiss or German team win a world title? We’ve seen what Toyota did. They came in, tried to do it this way, and it didn’t work. And it cost a fortune.”

“It’s a great demand. And I must say, there’s no better place to run a racing car than in Great Britain, particularly in Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, and other areas. They have such a wealth of knowledge. They have a mindset that enables them to win or achieve the best.”

“And the suppliers in the area understand the complexities and the timelines people work within. Whereas, for example, if you order a part to be manufactured in Switzerland, they might give you a timeline of four days, four weeks, or four months, and you can’t do anything about it.”

“On the other hand, if you’re in the UK, you can sit on that supplier and tell them ‘if you don’t do this, you’re out of a job. You’d better drop everything and do it.'”

“And they work day and night to make it happen. So, it’s the philosophy that there’s a culture of racing, it’s in the DNA, and I think what Audi is doing is fundamentally flawed.”

The Only Team Without Points

Jordan Expresses Concerns Over the Shaky Foundations of Audi F1, Pointing Out Sauber’s Lack of Wins

Eddie Jordan has voiced apprehensions about Audi F1’s base, given Sauber’s track record of no wins under its own name, apart from a single victory as BMW: “One must not forget the team they’ve acquired, Sauber.”

“I adore him as a person, but nice guys don’t win anything. Unfortunately, Peter has not won any Grand Prix. And this year, what must be embarrassing for him, is that they are the only team without a point. Because of this, they are firmly at the bottom. It’s not a great joy, and I’m disappointed for them.”

David Coulthard, co-host of the podcast with Jordan, however, cited the team’s 2008 victory in Canada with Robert Kubica: “Of course, Peter and the team have won in Formula 1. That was my last podium.”

Jordan does not regard this as a Sauber win but rather a BMW victory: “That’s not true, it was officially a BMW team. Peter Sauber, as a person, team, and participant, hasn’t won a championship or any race. BMW won a race. These are two completely different things.”

Coulthard agrees with Jordan regarding the problem with the factory being located in Switzerland: “I think if you’re really trying to be a world champion, to win a Grand Prix, the United Kingdom has long established itself as the ideal place to do it. Ferrari is of course the exception, but even they needed a significant European workforce to achieve it.”