The German mark is finally joining the royal class.
Sauber’s F1 stable is in line with Alfa Romeo. EPA / AOP
The F1 series will have two significant additions in the next few years, with Audi and Porsche joining the series in 2026.
Joining the Volkswagen Group’s car brands in Formula One is a secret that everyone knows. Official admission will be confirmed in the coming weeks as the FIA confirms engine rules for the coming years.
The co-operation between Porsche and Red Bull is expected to be officially confirmed in July in connection with the Austrian home race in Tallinn.
Audi, which has been dying into the sport for decades, is a coveted companion. As many as four existing F1 teams have been connected to it.
The Swiss magazine Blick flags its own. According to the magazine, Audi is beating the cubs together with Sauber. That would mean the end of the current Alfa Romeo contract.
Sauber’s organization, which has been number one since 1993, has remained the same throughout the year, although over the years the stable has been the F1 platform for both BMW and now Alfa Romeo. The current contract with the Italian brand began in 2019.
The strong ties between Switzerland and Germany and Sauber’s good factory conditions make it an attractive option for Audi.
The car brand, which has previously had success in rallies and endurance races, does not want to join the number one team as its own stable, but wants to land in the sport with a softly already merited stable.
Other options for Audi include Williams, Aston Martin and McLaren. All three stables currently use Mercedes power sources.
Aston Martin’s downside is its affiliation with the Daimler Group, which owns Mercedes. McLaren, on the other hand, is an unlikely option, as the stable was unwilling to sell its name to Audi. It could also stifle the traditional Williams ’urge to become an official partner of Audi.
Selling the name to Sauber has not been a problem in recent years.
This season, Alfa Romeo has fared better in the number one formula than in years. Joined the team for this season Valtteri Bottas is eighth in the World Series with a catch of 46 points. Stable friend Guanyu Zhoulla there are five points. The garage is the sixth in the series.