F1 team announce shock FULL takeover and end an era

Audi have officially confirmed that they have completed the full takeover of the Sauber F1 team.

The German manufacturer announced back in August 2022 their intention to join the sport as a works team from 2026 and bought 25 percent of Sauber six months later.

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On Friday, Audi completed their acquisition of the other 75 percent and will take complete ownership of the team.

This officially marks the end of Sauber in F1, who have had a long and illustrious career in the sport having debuted in 1993.

Audi take over Sauber

The team have achieved one victory in their history – coming at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix as BMW with Robert Kubica and have given debuts to notable drivers such as Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc.

Sauber CEO Andreas Siedl will remain in his post with the team as ‘the face’ of the operation, while Audi’s head of technical development Oliver Hoffman will be above Siedl as the company’s board’s general representative for the team.

In an official statement, Hoffman said: "I am convinced that by bundling responsibilities and taking over 100 per cent of Sauber Group, we will further accelerate our preparations for the launch in 2026.”

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"I am pleased we were able to secure the services of Andreas Seidl as Audi F1 Team CEO. He is exactly the right man for our ambitious plan. Thanks to his broad experience from leadership roles on the manufacturer and Formula 1 team side, he will make a significant contribution to Audi's Formula 1 project."

Seidl, who joined Sauber from McLaren in 2023, added: "I thank [Audi chief executive] Gernot Dollner and Oliver Hoffmann for their trust and am looking forward to leading Audi into Formula 1 together with a highly-motivated team as CEO of the Audi F1 Team.”

"We have a clear roadmap for how we want to become competitive in Hinwil as well as in Neuburg. We have ambitious goals. Realisation of them is in progress and will be further accelerated through the complete takeover of Sauber by AUDI AG."

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