Audi appears to be ramping up rather than wriggling out of its commitment to enter Formula 1 for 2026.
Just a few days ago, there was talk of more upper management turmoil at the Volkswagen-owned German marque, but Sauber team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi affirmed the "strong commitment of the Audi Group".
Indeed, Audi made the decision to enter F1 by acquiring a 75 percent stake in the Swiss team Sauber back in late 2022, with some equity having already changed hands.
And now, Bloomberg reports that Audi is in fact ramping up its earlier plans, with the goal now of acquiring full 100 percent ownership of Sauber.
When asked about this, a Sauber spokesman said Audi acquiring a stake is "an important milestone on the way to Audi’s entry in Formula 1 in 2026, for which the Sauber Group will be the brand’s strategic partner and its works team".
"We do not further comment about the team’s shareholding structure at this time," he added.
Sauber currently races officially in F1 as ’Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber’.