Page 76 - Sharp November 2024

ON THE
BLOCK
THE COMPETITION HEATS UP IN 2026, BUT ALREADY AUDI’S YOUNG TEAM IS NO STRANGER TO DRAMA
By Matt Bubbers
FORMULA ONE IS A RUTHLESS, PUNISHING SPORT THAT
functions a bit like a black hole into which brands dump millions, even billions, of dollars in order to taste victory and sell their wares. It’s by far the most popular motor racing series in the world, and also the most expensive. The chance of winning a championship for a new team is slim to none.
Despite knowing this, Audi will join the global Formula One circus as a factory team in 2026, taking over the old Sauber team. The brand with the four rings beat out both Porsche and Cadillac to make a successful bid to join F1.
“Motorsport is an integral part of our DNA,” said Markus Duesmann, the former chairman of the board of management at Audi, and the man who brought the company into the sport. Indeed, Audi has already claimed multiple wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and in the World Rally Championship, but it has never tasted victory in F1. “We are convinced that our Formula One commitment will strengthen Audi’s sporting focus,” Duesmann added. “The racing
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series is continuously increasing its global reach, especially among young target groups and in our most important sales market: China.” For the 2026 season, the formula for Formula One cars is changing; the new machines will be smaller and lighter, with clever active aerodynamics, much more battery power, and fuelled by so-called sustainable fuels. Such big changes make it an ideal time
for a new team to enter the fray.
Audi’s young team has already had more than its fair share of
drama, even before it officially hits the track. As of 2023, Duesmann is out as the head of Audi AG, replaced by Gernot Döllner who takes over the CEO job. There’s also been a shakeup of the F1 team’s top management just 18 months before its debut race. Former McLaren F1 head Andreas Seidl was introduced in 2023 to guide Audi’s F1 effort, only to be replaced by ex-Ferrari F1 team boss Mattia Binotto. He’ll be joined by Jonathan Wheatley, as team principal, whose history in F1 goes back to the early 1990s and who helped Red Bull Racing win seven F1 championships.
At this point, only German driver Nico Hülkenberg has been signed with the second seat remaining an open question.
Audi’s F1 operation will be based out of two locations: Hinwil, Switzerland, where the Sauber team has been based since the 1970s, and Neuburg, Germany. The latter will be responsible for the powertrain, while most other development work takes place in Hinwil.
The “why” of it all is rather simple: win on Sunday, sell on Monday. As Audi wrote in a statement announcing its intent to join the sport, “The series holds races in all relevant markets of the brand. [...] In 2021, more than 1.5 billion TV viewers watched the races.”
In other words, if you’re a car company, there’s no better stage on which to advertise than Formula One. The upside is huge, but so is the risk of embarrassment. Whatever happens to Audi’s F1 squad, one thing is certain: we’re already looking forward to the 2026 season of Netflix’s racing soap opera, Drive to Survive.