Sauber F1 Woes Unfaze Audi's Leadership

Despite Sauber’s daunting F1 results, Audi’s CEO remains steadfast, emphasizing patience and humility in their approach.

The outlook appears quite bleak for Audi’s entry into F1. This year, Stake has still not scored any points; and Carlos Sainz seems to prefer moving to Williams F1 rather than joining the future Audi team!

There is also total instability internally. Andreas Seidl, CEO of the project since its inception, has been outright dismissed. Oliver Hoffmann, who was the chairman of the Sauber and Audi F1 project’s executive committee, has also exited.

Mattia Binotto has arrived as technical director and operations director. It is not a like-for-like replacement…

In short, the Audi ship seems to be taking on water…

However, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner still firmly believes in his project. From a sporting, technological, marketing standpoint, why does he still see F1 as the right choice?

“Formula 1 is an exciting sporting platform. We would not have come without the new regulations starting from 2026—a budget cap and a higher degree of electrification. It’s a complex and interesting technical challenge, and we are pleased to be working on it.”

“Motorsport is part of Audi’s DNA. It’s an important element in building a brand, particularly in Asia and North America. Formula 1 attracts customers who are very important to Audi: much younger and a large number of women.”

However, isn’t Döllner concerned about Sauber’s current competitiveness, still at the bottom of the constructor’s standings?

“We restarted last September by purchasing Sauber.”

“At this moment, we are refining our strategy. We know where we stand.”

“The Sauber team is 10th out of 10, with no points. The direction will certainly be positive.”

“Humility is necessary. It’s a long journey. The most important thing is to improve step by step.”

To achieve its goals, Audi will need to remain in F1 for years and not make a round trip like BMW or Toyota. Is the Audi CEO ready for this?

“Yes. We are improving the team’s setup. Formula 1 is a people business, and you need to have a functioning team. Time will tell.”

300 engineers are currently in Neuberg working on the Audi power unit. But all this work will not necessarily be reusable on the engines of Audi cars sold to the general public, admits the CEO.

“No. We must be honest. You have a high-rev combustion engine paired with an electric motor at 60,000 rpm and a gearbox that shifts in 0.05 seconds. It’s a different story for road cars. But it gives you an efficiency mentality, a racing spirit, and for me, that’s the most important part.”

“We are looking at the benefits to be gained, but it is still too early to talk about them. The philosophy of F1 and hybrid performance match perfectly.”