“We have started with the hires”: Sauber has started recruiting new F1 staff ahead of the deal with Audi in 2026, insists Alunni Bravi
Sauber F1 team head Alessandro Alunni Bravi recently said that the team has begun hiring more crew to increase their infrastructure as part of a "major hiring plan."
After their partnership ended with Alfa Romeo at the conclusion of the 2023 season, Sauber has been looking toward their future in the sport. With two sponsors supporting them for the upcoming seasons, they will be called the Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber in the 2024 season.
The team is also looking forward to the 2026 season when they will be taken over by Audi as the German manufacturer will make its way into the sport. Alessandro Alunni Bravi stated that the team has undertaken a recruitment plan through which they are expanding the staff and the crew. He said, via Motorsport:
"We have undertaken a major hiring plan."
He added:
"Of course, the results of the plan will be more visible in the coming years, because with each new appointment you normally have a gardening leave period to join a competitor."
Alunni Bravi also revealed that the team will be expanding in terms of personnel and infrastructure in the coming years with the implementation of the investments being made.
"We then started with hiring. Of course, in the coming years we will increase our structure, both in terms of personnel and technology, because all the investments that need to be made and implemented also take some time."
Sauber has been near the bottom of the championship for the past seasons, and the expansion and investments will be a welcome addition in their efforts to battle for the midfield.
Bravi reveals Sauber's financial independence in F1
An F1 team is dependent on major sponsors for finances to run themselves properly and competitively. Teams like Haas have been open about their financial issues in the sport. Interestingly, Bravi stated that the Swiss team has never faced such issues in recent history. He said:
"I always said that, from a financial point of view, there were no problems."
Talking about their expansion program, he revealed that Frederic Vasseur, now team principal at Ferrari, was a major part of the team of 220 people which has now expanded to almost double the size.
"We started our journey in 2017, when I joined the team together with Fred Vasseur. We were around 220 people, this year we reached more than 500 people and next year we will also take a step forward in terms of staff."
It is remarkable to see a team that has not been very competitive in recent years remain financially stable, especially with the inflation of the sport.
Sauber will be continuing with Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou in the 2024 F1 season, following the same driver lineup for the third consecutive season. After their ninth-place finish in the past season, there are expectations from the team to battle for more this time around.