Sauber Motorsport is a Swiss based motorsport engineering company founded in 1970 by Peter Sauber. They have competed in Formula One under their own name from 1993-2005 and from 2011-2018.

The teams biggest successes has been when they have operated as part of a collaboration with a road car manufacturer. As BMW Sauber (2006-10) the team finished second in the 2007 F1 constructors’ title race following McLaren’s disqualification and third the following season as Lewis Hamilton claimed his debut F1 title.

From 480 Grand Prix entries, Sauber racked up 27 podiums, one pole position and a single Grand Prix win at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix. The victory which was Robert Kubica’s first came following Lewis Hamilton taking out Kimi Raikkonen in the pit lane, ending both their races.

 

 

 

Sauber first win

Kubica opted for a different refuelling strategy from his team mate Nick Heidfeld and while both led the race it was the Polish driver who came out on top, but this ended a 1-2 for the BMW Sauber The Swiss F1 team have been cash strapped on and off for years, even being sold completely by its founder only for him to buy it back when BMW bailed out of F1.

The relationship with Ferrari has seen Sauber act as a feeder team for the Scuderia, bringing on academy drivers including Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc. However with Audi now on the scene this door will be closed to Ferrari and the Swiss team have already named Nico Hulkenberg who is likely to be partnered by Valtteri Bottas.

Audi’s full purchase of the team’s shares came earlier than originally planned. Once again, short of finance Kick Sauber elected to retain Zhou Gaungyu for this year but even the estimated $30m his Chinese backers bring was not enough to fund the entire 2024 season. So Audi stepped in back in March and now have complete control of all matters F1.

However, F1 is not an easy entry for those looking to join the party, and the internal structures led to in fighting between Andrea Seidl and main board director Oliver Hoffman. Both were recently dismissed and ex-Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto is the overarching leader of the Audi F1 project.

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Audi infighting

Binotto quickly recruited Red Bull’s long serving Jonathan Wheatley as team principal but the world ahead to be ready for the Audi power unit and branding in 2026 is immense.

Sauber started the year with disastrous pit stops in three of the first four races. The problem is understood to be related to the lightweight material used in the new-for-2024 wheel nuts that are part of the team’s winter investment in equipment and components designed to improve pitstop times.

Having fixed the issue which was temperature related, something not picked up in pre-season testing sessions, the team has remained pointless this season to date and their drivers lie plumb last in the title race alongside the now departed Logan Sargeant.

Now Audi are piling on the pressure for Sauber to improve as Binotto says “immediate” changes are required to improve performance.

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Audi/Sauber merger not ready for ’26

Yet Technical Director James Key is unsure whether things can improve in the short run and predicted earlier this season the integration between Audi and Sauber may not be complete until 2027.

“I think ultimately, we’re probably not going to be the final product that we’re aiming for until about ’27 time really, because there is a lot to do,” Key revealed. “But we’ll be in far better shape as we approach ’26. And that will give us the opportunity to take the step forward we need to.”

Yet these timescales do not paper to impress Binotto who wants improvements now to realise the investment made by Audi. “We cannot accept the current situation and drive at the back of the field,” Binotto tells Auto Motor und Sport. “A team that wants to win one day has to strengthen its muscles now. That is why we need immediate measures to change that.

“I am convinced of the project, the people, the tools and the support of the brand. That is why I signed within two days of the offer.” The former Ferrari team principal called his return with Audi “the biggest challenge of my career.”

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Audi power unit questions

Audi of course have their own worries in building for the first time in their history a Formula One power unit. The German brand have been tight lipped about its progress and a number of rumours have emerged they are behind schedule.

They were forced to issue a statement as recently as June in repose to paddock murmurs that Audi may in fact bail on its promised F1 project. The Formula CEO from German, Adam Baker said at a press conference: “After just two years, our power unit, consisting of a combustion engine, electric motor, battery and control electronics, is running dynamically on the test bench.

“Successfully marrying the various components into a single unit is the result of hard work and great teamwork. The Audi Power Unit has already covered simulated race distances on the test bench. We gained a lot of testing time with the individual components in 2023 and were able to incorporate the experience gained into the next construction stages in parallel,” he concluded.

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Red Bull more confident

Red Bull are attempting a similar feat in building their first ever F1 powertrain, yet the team have release far more detailed information on their progress including the problems with increasing the electrical output to three times its current level. The split between internal combustion engine (ICE) and battery power for 2026 will be 50/50.

Christian Horner explained early in the summer, their simulations were showing at circuits with long straights and few braking zones, the ICE was merely acting as a generator on the long straights to deliver the 50% battery power required by the FIA.

Audi have said nothing on the matter which has led to concerns they are suffering a similar fate to Honda when they returned to F1 in 2015. The Japanese manufacturer started their V6 turbo hybrid programme later than the rest and its lack of power was described by Fernando Alonso as a GP2 engine.

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Marko departure from Red Bull: “I’m not getting any younger”

Dr Helmut Marko hints at Red Bull departure after saying to the German press that “…of course, I’m not getting any younger” – For more than a decade, Helmut Marko has been a key figure behind Red Bull Racing’s meteoric rise in Formula One over the last two decades.

From nurturing young talent to making strategic decisions that have propelled the team to the pinnacle of the sport, the 81-year-old Austrian has left an indelible legacy. However, Marko is now openly contemplating the twilight of his career, signalling that his days at the helm of Red Bull may soon be coming to an end… READ MORE