Sauber turmoil as Audi smell the roses – Since the global financial crisis in the naughties, Formula One has existed on the brink of losing some of its manufacturers. Within two years back in 2008, both Honda and Toyota withdrew their teams from the sport which they deemed too expensive and not reflecting the values of their road car businesses.

The current grid in F1 is the smallest its ever been and the FIA have been on a decade long charm offensive to attract new manufacturers into the sport. The current V6 turbo hybrid monster power units were driven by road car manufacturers vision of the future, one which now in Europe at least appears to be doomed given the push for total electric.

Most hybrid road car models in the UK will be banned from new in 2030 come the current Labour governments plans, yet Formula One has committed to the technology beyond that timescale.

 

 

 

F1 hybrid future dead already

There was talk around 2018 suggesting a number of the F1 competitors believed the new breed of power units coming now in 2026 should revert to V8/V10 combustion engine technology but with 100% bio fuel. Red Bull were particularly keen on this route forward given their disastrous relationship with Renault who failed to invest properly pre-2014 in the turbo hybrid tech.

The argument ran as follows. F1 has always been the cutting edge of motoring technology bringing seat belts, traction control and paddle shift efficient gear boxes to the world, to name but a few of its innovations. A bio fuel solution for the internal combustion engines could have revolutionised the world’s 2 billion vehicles already deployed with ICE technology, yet the F1 juggernaut of modernity is more like a gargantuan ocean going container ship in its ability to change course.

Porsche – who never showed up in the end – and Mercedes were particularly pushy on the hybrid front at the FIA working party in the late 2010’s and give the Volkswagen Audi Group’s muscle in Europe it was difficult for the FIA to ignore their demands for hybrid power units. The doom of the hybrid power unit in F1 has already been announced ironically as the FIA unveiled their final regulations last June for the switch from the current versions of the hybrid in 2026.

As the big announcement was made by the FIA, F1’s CEO Stefano Domenicali appeared to quickly look to the future beyond hybrid. “Things have developed so quickly that today a decision might be different from two years ago. I am not an engineer, but I must have a vision of what the sport will look like in the future,” he said.

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Audi F1 trouble at the top

“I can imagine that with the next regulations, we could limit ourselves to sustainable fuel. If we are able to show that we produce zero emissions with it, we can focus on other important aspects of sustainability.”

The problem with hybrid solutions its they are not nearly as efficient as people believe. The massive increase in weight of the vehicle required by additional heavy battery and hybrid technologies, in some cases outweighs the efficiencies hybrid power brings.

Yet the four year long debate within the FIA working party on future F1 power units finally did attract a new manufacturer in Audi, who decided to buy Sauber with their F1 chassis building experience, while the division of VAG focused on building a hybrid power unit.

But all is not well with F1’s latest team rebrand. Both senior directors managing the Audi F1 project were sacked in 2024 and ex-Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto was recruited to get the project back on track.

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Sauber boss exits

Today the head of Kick Sauber and its managing director, Alumni Bravi has announced his departure from the Swiss based squad. Having joined the team in 2017, Bravi presided over one of their worst seasons in 2014 where they bagged just one point across 24 Grand Prix and six Sprint events. “It is an emotional time as my journey with Sauber reaches its end,” Bravi said.

“Since I joined in 2017, I have seen this team grow and change beyond what anyone could have imagined. This organisation went through exciting and difficult times alike, all without ever losing its spirit and its commitment, which is something I find inspiring, and I was proud of being able to represent the team as its public face in the last two years.”

“As I move on to a new project, I want to thank Finn Rausing, all those who put so much trust and faith in me at Sauber and Audi, and all the colleagues I have been working with for the last eight years. This team is a family and has a bright future ahead.”

Red Bull’s sporting director Jonathan Wheatley has been lined up to replace Bravi, yet the problems within the team run deep as outgoing driver Valtteri Bottas now explains after three years working with the Swiss team. “My biggest concern is the chassis,” the Finn tells Sky Deutschland.

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Audi F1 project behind the curve

“It will not be manufactured by Audi, but will continue to be manufactured by Sauber. The chassis side definitely needs to be improved. It has been a difficult start for the brand so far,” revealed the new Mercedes reserve and test driver.

Head of the Audi F1 project, Mattia Binotto has claimed the team has made good progress in the latter stages of the 2024 season, yet a glance at the points table clearly demonstrates Kick Sauber are in a lower league all of their own.

“There is much less production and technical capacity, a very outdated simulator and also around 400 fewer people than at a top team,” explained Binotto. “This team has only survived for the past ten years. It has been in survival mode, making the best of the situation.”

In a shift of position from Kick Sauber’s technical directors predictions early in 2024, Binotto now claims it will be another half a decade before Audi is successful in Formula One. The target form the Italian is now “by 2030”, whereas James Key the team’s TD claimed this time last year, the merger between Audi and Sauber should be complete by the end of the season in 2027.

Mercedes proved it takes time for even a global car manufacturer to enter F1 and become successful, having bought double title winning  Brawn GP towards the end of 2009. It was 2014 before the auto giant was to rule the F1 roost, and only then due to its superior new power unit, which Audi don’t appear to have up their corporate sleeve.

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Michael Schumacher: New recovery hope revealed

Michael Schumacher, the iconic seven-time Formula One World Champion, has remained a symbol of excellence, resilience and determination. His life took a tragic turn on 29 December 2013, when a skiing accident in the French Alps left him with severe brain injuries. More than a decade later, Schumacher’s health remains a private matter, closely guarded by his family.

For more than a decade, the global community has watched with admiration and concern as his family has navigated this profound chapter, balancing hope, resilience and the pursuit of care. Against the backdrop of his remarkable legacy, discussions of his recovery journey continue, intertwined with reflections on human determination and the evolving possibilities that lie ahead…. READ MORE