Audi is already focused on preparing for its works Formula 1 foray for 2026, according to Sauber team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi.
The Volkswagen-owned German marque, which will team up with the Swiss outfit currently known as Alfa Romeo for the new 2026 engine rules, has this week signed its first F1 driver.
He is Swiss 39-year-old Neel Jani, a former Red Bull-backed junior and F1 test driver who was most recently aligned with another VW-owned carmaker - Porsche.
Jani will help Audi test its 2026 F1 engine in the simulator.
Sauber’s team representative Bravi says Audi is already working hard on the power unit the works Audi entry will use in 2026.
"We are working thinking about the present and the future," he told El Mundo Deportivo. "The future is built now."
He says Sauber is also making plans for 2026 whilst also racing as Alfa Romeo in 2023.
"We cannot think of being competitive in 2026 if we are not capable of doing an optimal job and improving as a team during these years," said the Italian.
"At the same time Audi is concentrating on the engine project," Bravi added. "There is no interference and we are both working on our main focus - us on the car and Audi on the engine."