Audi sells stake in F1 team less than two years before its official entry: Reports
Recent reports have emerged that Audi could sell a minority stake in their F1 team to investors Qatar Sovereign Wealth Fund. This deal is rumored to take place two years prior to the German giant's official entry into the sport.
Audi's connection to F1 dates back to August 2022, when they announced their arrival in the sport in 2026. By then, the FIA will introduce a new power unit and other technical regulations. Audi partnered with Sauber (then Alfa Romeo) and decided to acquire a team. The German giants first took a minority stake in the team and started their operation in January 2023 before announcing their full takeover of Sauber in March 2024.
After F1's exponential growth in popularity, individual teams also started attracting lots of investors from around the globe. Recent reports from Auto Motor und Sport emerged that the Swiss-German F1 team could be planning to sell a minority stake to Qatar's sovereign wealth fund. This will be the country's first investment in the sport. The financial boost from this deal could work in Audi's favor as they continue to build their factory at Hilwil.
Though the team has claimed to Auto Motor und Sport that the team was not for the same, the publication speculated that Audi could simply sell a minority stake in the team for a fresh cash flow to help them in their F1 debut.
The report further stated that though Audi could sell a minority stake in their F1 team, they will continue to have full control of the team's decisions. The German media also reported that the talks between Qatar's wealth fund and Audi took place some time ago and not recently.
Audi re-evaluated their F1 project but remained committed to entering the sport
Audi CEO Gernot Dollner recently talked about his company's bid to enter F1 and their preparations. He explained that his company is well aware of the challenges and time it might take for them to be fully ready for F1. He believes that it is the right time for them to dip their toes in the single-seater series. Though he admitted that the company revised its plans for F1, it continues to be committed to it. Dollner goes on to claim that Audi and F1 are the "perfect fit" for each other.
"We are aware it will be a several-year programme. We started the discussion of how ambitious we can be but haven't finished that discussion. It definitely is the right time. The decision was well-prepared two and a half years ago. We re-evaluated it last year and we believe that F1 and Audi is a perfect fit - and it fits to our strategy and we are happy to have this project, knowing that it is ambitious and takes time," Dollner said. (via BBC)
As of now, there is still time for Audi to officially enter the sport with their name and power unit. Sauber continues to run in F1 under their name and with lots of other hefty sponsorships like Kick and Stake.