More talk of management turmoil at Audi has emerged, once again putting a cloud over the Volkswagen brand’s earlier decision to enter Formula 1 in 2026.
Earlier, the removal as Audi CEO of Markus Duesmann - an architect of the decision to pair with and take over Sauber - raised questions about the health of the project.
He was replaced by Gernot Dollner, who is believed to be no keen supporter of Formula 1 - and now at loggerheads with chief technical officer Oliver Hoffman, according to the major German newspapers Bild and Handelsblatt.
The reports suggest Dollner wants to oust Hoffman, who may then be pushed off to the F1 project. However, Sauber’s transition to Audi is already been overseen by Andreas Seidl.
Early rumours at the Bahrain test suggest Seidl, also a former McLaren team boss, might therefore become a target for Red Bull if Christian Horner is ousted.
A spokesman for Audi told Nextgen-Auto: "In regards to rumours about the CTO of AUDI AG I can say that as a general rule Audi does not comment on personnel matters. However, as far as our F1 project is concerned we remain fully commited."