Audi sets ambitious plans for 2023: set to complete hiring over 300 F1 employees and PU test by the end of the season
Audi will test the prototype of the 2026 F1 engine later this year.
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Audi. Image via F1.
German manufacturer Audi will join Formula 1 in 2026, partnering with Sauber. The new power unit regulations made it possible for newcomers to enter the sport. As the Chinese GP was canceled, Audi used the Auto Shanghai motor show to present its ongoing Formula 1 project. Audi also provided a status update revealing that they will run a full power unit test by the end of the year.
Not only will they test a complete hybrid powertrain, but they will also complete hiring over 300 staff for the project despite the deal with Sauber. Audi already owns a minority stake in the Sauber team, which competes under the Alfa Romeo name. Audi’s presence in F1 will increase due to the strategic partnership with the Swiss outfit. The manufacturer has confirmed that a single-cylinder has been tested since the end of 2022. It is to help with the bench set-up. The team has already planned its driver lineup, and there are reports that Audi is eying to land Ferrari driver Carlos Saniz to drive for them in 2026.
Audi revealed in a press release, “More than 260 specialists are already on board. The core of the development team consists of experienced Audi Sport and Audi employees with many years of diverse expertise in electric motorsport. They are joined by specialists with Formula 1 expertise who have been sourced externally and will strengthen the team in a targeted manner.”
Related: “Plenty of ups and downs,” Lando Norris blames ‘bad luck’ for McLaren’s disappointing start to 2023
Audi states that Motorsport is an integral part of its DNA
Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at AUDI AG, Oliver Hoffmann, stated that the progress to enter F1 had been accelerated. The additional test rigs for power unit development will be installed in a new 32,000-square-foot building at Neuburg later this season. Hoffmann said, “The Audi Formula 1 project has really taken off in recent months.”
He added, “In the ongoing concept phase of the power unit, the foundation of our drivetrain for 2026 is being laid today. We attach great importance to detailed work, for example on materials or manufacturing technologies, and we also focus on topics such as the energy management of the hybrid drivetrain. After all, efficiency is a key success factor for Formula 1 and the mobility of the future, these approaches will advance both worlds.”
Audi presented its F1 program at Auto Shanghai, along with the Audi F1 show car, and reminded everyone of the importance of the Chinese market. Meanwhile, Sauber has already hired Andreas Seidl, McLaren’s former team principal, as their CEO. He previously worked for Porsche, Audi’s fellow Volkswagen Group. They want him to help transform Alfa Romeo into Audi over the next few years.
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Sugantha Meena
(493 Articles Published)