Audi F1 team make HUGE move ahead of championship arrival

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F1 News & Gossip

Audi make HUGE move ahead of F1 arrival

Audi will officially join F1 in 2026

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 7 February 2025 08:27

Audi have announced a major move ahead of their entry into Formula 1 as preparations ramp up for their debut season in the sport.

The German manufacturer has already completed their takeover of the Sauber F1 team after officially finalising the deal in January 2025.

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Sauber will compete in their final F1 season with Stake sponsorship in less than two months ahead of the complete rebranding of the outfit, which is set to take place in 2026.

The Swiss-based team have secured a completely new driver lineup for this year, pairing the experience of Nico Hulkenberg with the youth of 2024 F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto.

The new driver duo both signed contracts to race for the team in 2025 and 2026 and will therefore make up Audi's first lineup in the sport.

Nico Hulkenberg left former team Haas to race with Sauber

Gabriel Bortoleto will make his F1 debut with Sauber in 2025

To shop official Sauber merchandise, click here to browse a variety of team pieces via F1 fanatics.

Audi reveal plans to open British base

As Audi prepares to rebrand Sauber and improve the team's chances of mastering the regulations overhaul in 2026, they will no doubt be on the hunt to snap up some of the best engineering minds the sport can offer.

In an effort to improve their chances, it has now been confirmed that the team will open a base in the UK this year in the 'motorsport valley' of England.

The team would be joining the likes of Williams, Aston Martin and Red Bull who are also based in the area, which stretches from Oxfordshire to Milton Keynes and includes the UK's iconic motorsport hub, Silverstone.

A statement from Sauber stated that the new technical centre would be located in the south-east of England so that Audi can recruit the best engineering talent there, with much more opportunity on offer in the UK than in Hinwil, Switzerland, where Sauber are currently based.

The statement continued to detail how the relocation would "establish a platform to collaborate with top experts and attract local engineering talent for the Audi F1 project".

This news comes after Sauber found themselves at the heart of a debate over F1's controversial cost cap regulations with a change requested to suit Sauber so that they could be exempt from the same restraints as other teams across the grid due to the extremely high cost of living and average wage in Switzerland.