As of: March 18, 2024, 8:30 p.m
By: Hannes Niemeyer
Comments
Press
Split
Audi will enter Formula 1 from 2026.
Former racing driver Ralf Schumacher sees this as a great opportunity.
However, he also urges caution – and radical action.
Munich – The German earthquake in Formula 1 is perfect!
With Audi, another German engine manufacturer will enter the premier class of all racing series with its own team.
And that from 2026. As has now been announced, the German car manufacturer is planning to take over 100% of the current Sauber racing team.
Until now, Audi had only held 25 percent of the shares.
Audis will be racing in Formula 1 from 2026 – expert Schumacher recognizes a “very important” step
From 2026, Audi will enter the racing series with its own engine and chassis program.
An agreement was also reached with Ferrari, as the Italian racing car giant has previously provided the engines for the team under contract.
Originally it was stipulated that Audi would not be allowed to invest 100 percent as long as Ferrari engines were still installed in the cars.
Now the
path to the complete Audi racing car is clear.
Andreas Seidl, who has recently moved to Sauber as Managing Director and is currently working more in the background, will take on the role of CEO of the Audi F1 Team in the future.
It was an open secret anyway that Audi, already a 25 percent shareholder there, was responsible for Seidl's move from McLaren to Sauber.
The now clear complete Audi entry is an important step for the team, also believes ex-racing driver Ralf Schumacher.
Andreas Seidl (r.) heads Audi's Formula 1 project.
Ralf Schumacher has a tip.
© IMAGO / Beautiful Sports / Erlhof + dpa/Press Association |
David Davies
Audi entry into Formula 1: Complete takeover is a strong statement according to Schumacher
For the expert from the pay-TV channel
Sky
, which broadcasts the racing series , the step to now buy the 100 percent shares was “very important,” as he emphasized in an interview with
Sport1
.
Especially since rumors arose shortly beforehand that Audi might back out.
After all, the current Sauber team didn't exactly start the season brilliantly.
Zhou Guanyu finished eleventh and 18th in the first two races of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. For veteran Valtteri Bottas it was only enough for places 19 and 17. No points, weak placings.
According to Ralf Schumacher, Audi's clear commitment to Formula 1 is a strong statement.
Especially when it comes to current performance.
He also has another warning example.
“We see how poorly the Renault subsidiary Alpine is performing,” said Schumacher about one of the currently supposedly weakest teams on the grid.
The team, which is 76 percent owned by the Renault Group, and its drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon have not yet finished higher than 13th place.
My news
A four-year-old has a tumor in his head – parents ask for help reading
Up to 30 centimeters: Where it's supposed to snow a lot on the weekend read
“Stunned after all the rumors”: Princess Kate surprises with public appearance
Deaf to noise: Three US nerds declare war on Putin with a cheap drone read
No longer available: Aldi is taking the entire product category off its shelves
Habeck wants to have gas networks shut down: What that means for consumers read
“With an iron broom through the factory, otherwise it won’t work”: Schumacher warns Audi against entering Formula 1
“But Sauber, the future Audi team is hardly better,” Schumacher continued to tell
Sport1
.
According to him, it is now “important to turn the right quick screws straight away”.
Probably to avoid a similar dilemma and rather get a fresh start with a completely new car from full Audi production.
The ex-racing driver also knows what it takes: “Project manager Andi Seidl has to sweep through the factory in Switzerland with an iron broom, otherwise nothing will happen with the neighbor.” Then the two current Sauber drivers would hardly be any more sure – perhaps to the advantage of a German.
German motorsport fans should be happy to have an Audi racing team in the premier class from 2026.
German Formula 1 fans could face another nightmare scenario.
Meanwhile, there could be trouble with the rules because of the currently only German Formula 1 driver, Nico Hülkenberg.
(han)