According to Swiss newspaper Blick, Sauber has risen to the top in F1 talks with Audi. Sauber is currently running the Alfa Romeo F1 stable with Valtteri Bottas in the front.
One of the hottest topics outside of track events in Australia’s F1 weekend was the Volkswagen Group’s press release. The car giant said after Thursday’s board crowd that they have made preliminary plans to take part in the F1 series.
No official green light or final decision has been made by Volkswagen, but it made it clear that Volkswagen’s brands Audi and Porsche could join the F1 series.
However, the precondition is that for 2026 the engine rules make sense. Engines must be cost-effective and not have complex structures.
Audi’s sports department also said in a statement that the engine rules need to make the F1 series more sustainable.
The alliance between Porsche and Red Bull has been considered almost certain. There has also been speculation in the past that Audi would negotiate with McLaren to return to the F1 series.
According to Blick, speaking on behalf of Sauber, Audi already has a strong presence at Sauber’s skull site in Hinwil, Switzerland. Audi’s racing cars for other series have been developed in the Sauber wind tunnel for several years.
With the current CEO of Audi Markus Duessmann there is also a background in Sauber’s F1 team. Duessmann was BMW-Sauber’s development manager from 2007 to 2009.
– The team could easily be renamed Audi-Sauber. For McLaren, it would always be McLaren’s Audi, Blick writes.
Sports expert backgrounds the pattern
Sports F1 expert Jukka Mildhin According to Audi and Porsche, the CEO of the F1 series is behind it Stefano Domenicali.
– Stefano Domenicali has set himself ambitious goals to include new car manufacturers in the series, but this will require a major engine change. There is also talk of completely new fuels in 2026. According to the big brands, it will decide whether to enter the F1 series, even according to the big brands, Mildh estimates.
Mildh considers it very likely that Porsche and Audi will be the next car brands to join the F1 series. According to the expert, their role would be to act as engine manufacturers.
In Finnish, it makes speculation interesting Valtteri Bottas. He was hired this season as the lead driver for the Alfa Romeo team run by Sauber. According to Blick, the name sponsorship agreement between Alfa Romeo and Sauber is coming to an end after the 2024 season. According to the same media, the engine contract with Ferrari has been concluded by the end of 2025.
How realistic would it be that Valtteri Bottas, driven by Audi, would drive the F1 series in 2026?
– That’s a beautiful idea for Valtteri to continue in formula number one for so long. That’s one thing to keep in mind, Mildh says.
Bottas would be 36 at the time.
– The assumption is that the Bottas agreement will cover the Alfa Romeo era, ie the end of 2024. It should be continued in this scenario. I believe that (current F1 team leader) Frederic Vasseur invests in Valtter. His role on the team will probably be pretty solid as long as performance remains, Mildh notes.
All in all, Mildh would think it would be a great thing if Audi became Sauber’s partner.
– That would be a significant step for the whole F1 series. Anything is possible because Alfa Romeo is committed to sponsoring the stable for a set period of time, Mildh says.