Sauber plays down rumours around Audi and its commitment to join F1 in 2026, while clearing radio silence from the Swiss team’s end.
Off-late, rumours are in big about Volkswagen’s decision which will not see Audi make its F1 journey from 2026 onward with Sauber. In place of Audi, it could see Porsche taking over and joining hands with the Swiss outfit in similar capacity.
This news came around when there were also reports of full capacity pull out from Audi. But such rumours have been put to bed by Sauber team boss Alessandro Alunni Bravi for now. He says that the German manufacturer has a strong commitment.
He also clarified why Sauber has been silent on this topic since they are still running under the ‘Alfa Romeo’ name. Only once that deal is done at the end of the year, they will start to be more open about Audi’s involvement when they start using their old name.
“Thank you for this question, because it allows me to clarify a bit all these rumours that went around,” said Bravi. “Audi has a strong commitment to Formula 1, and of course together with Sauber. This commitment comes from a decision not only of the board of Audi but also the advisory board of Audi and the Supervisory Board of Audi/Volkswagen.
“So it’s a group decision and the commitment is there. Why there is a lack of communication is simple. We are Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake. So until the end of the year, we have certain limitations in communicating about the team, about the future, about the involvement of Audi, and we fully respect Alfa Romeo for this and we don’t want to make any kind of announcement or more than what is strictly related to the race and the Championship.
“The commitment, as I said, is there. We are working hard to develop the structure of the team. We have a strong recruitment plan in place. James Key is one, but we have on a weekly basis new appointments. And it’s not a matter of, you know, the involvement of Audi in financing the team or sustaining this development process.
“We have two owners, you know, two shareholders, there is a governance in place according to the different stages of the transaction that will be completed ahead of the 2026 season and so we are proceeding with the investment plan, with everything, in accordance with the governance that has been agreed.”
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