The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has acquired a “significant minority stake” in Sauber Holding AG, the future Audi Formula 1 team.
QIA is already a stakeholder in the Volkswagen Group – Audi’s parent company – and will provide a substantial capital injection that Audi said will allow the team to increase infrastructure and recruitment. The deal will be complete by the end of the second quarter in 2025, once Audi has completed its 100% takeover of Sauber in January. QIA will take a seat on the board.
“The investment by QIA reflects the trust and confidence the Audi F1 Project has already garnered, underscoring unwavering commitment of Audi to the initiative,” Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said. “This additional capital will accelerate the team’s growth and is yet another milestone on our long-term strategy. QIA’s involvement further energizes the dedicated efforts at both the Hinwil and Neuburg facilities as they work towards the entry of Audi in 2026.”
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Döllner also denied there was any threat to the project if Audi had not secured outside investment as it continues to work on its arrival in just over a year’s time.
“No, I wouldn’t say in danger, but when we reviewed it and made the plan to think bigger, bringing in a partner was part of that strategy,” he said. “So without a partner, I would not have been able to set the project up as we did it. The decision was taken one year ago.
“Now, step by step, we first took over 100%, then brought in Mattia [Binotto] and Jonathan [Wheatley], who will join next year. So step by step, the plan becomes visible.
“What we do today, bringing in this strong partner, is a model a lot of other teams have. And it’s, from our perspective, a necessary step to become one of the top teams in the future.”
Audi’s announcement follows news surrounding a General Motors entry that involves billionaire Mark Walter. No additional partners have been announced for that project at this point, but Döllner doesn’t believe it would be impossible for a car manufacturer to go it alone in F1.
“I wouldn’t say so,” he said. “An OEM could go it by himself, but I would say it’s a more intelligent way to do it with strong partners, and if you look at the other teams, that’s quite a success factor to go in a set-up that we’ve also chosen today.
“No plans yet [for further partners]. It’s an option we do have, but we haven’t started the process. For today, we are really happy to have, with QIA, this strong partner on board.