Nico Hulkenberg will join the Audi Formula 1 project by moving to Stake in 2025 on a multi-year deal, bringing an end to his time racing for Haas. Haas signed Hulkenberg ahead of the 2023 season after he had been out of a full-time Formula 1 seat …
Nico Hulkenberg will join the Audi Formula 1 project by moving to Stake in 2025 on a multi-year deal, bringing an end to his time racing for Haas.
Haas signed Hulkenberg ahead of the 2023 season after he had been out of a full-time Formula 1 seat for three years, and the German duly delivered impressive performances, particularly in qualifying. This year his strong form has continued, with three point-scoring results in the first five races, making him a key target for Audi when it becomes a full constructor from 2026 onwards.
“I’m returning to the team I worked with back in 2013 and have fond memories of the strong team spirit in Switzerland,” Hulkenberg said. “The prospect of competing for Audi is something very special. When a German manufacturer enters Formula 1 with such determination, it is a unique opportunity. To represent the factory team of such a car brand with a power unit made in Germany is a great honor for me.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]
With Hulkenberg becoming the first confirmed driver for Audi when it enters in 2026, future Audi F1 CEO Andreas Seidl — currently CEO of Sauber Motorsport AG — says his experience will be vital to the team’s development.
“We are very pleased to welcome Nico back here in Hinwil from 2025 and to compete with him in Formula 1,” Seidl said. “With his speed, his experience and his commitment to teamwork, he will be an important part of the transformation of our team — and of Audi’s F1 project.
“Right from the start, there was great mutual interest in building something long-term together. Nico is a strong personality and his input, on a professional and personal level, will help us to make progress both in the development of the car and in building up the team.”
In addition to Hulkenberg’s returning to the team over a decade on from a year racing for Sauber in 2013, the agreement also marks a reunion for him with Seidl, who was the Porsche team principal in the World Endurance Championship when Hulkenberg won at Le Mans for the team in 2015.
The news also confirms the departure of at least one of the current Stake lineup of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu at the end of this season. Carlos Sainz has been heavily linked with a move to join the Audi project following the end of his Ferrari contract this year.
Audi’s arrival in Formula 1 for 2026 is making Stake a serious player in the driver market this season despite on-track struggles, according to team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi. The Sauber-run team has yet to score a point in the opening …
Audi’s arrival in Formula 1 for 2026 is making Stake a serious player in the driver market this season despite on-track struggles, according to team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi.
The Sauber-run team has yet to score a point in the opening five races and has been hampered by pit stop issues that have caused a number of slow stops, frustrating drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. Despite the challenging results so far in 2024, the fact that Audi will take over the team and enter as a full constructor in less than two years is leading to a lot of interest from drivers, according to Alunni Bravi.
“First, let me say that there are a lot of speculations around our teams and comments,” Alunni Bravi said. “And, of course, I don’t want to comment on speculation… But there’s all the teams. There are 14 drivers without a contract fixed for next year. So, as all the teams, we are speaking with different drivers.
“It’s not the time for us to take any decision. It’s time to provide our drivers with a performing car. But let me say that we are happy that it seems that we can play a role — a different role in the drivers’ market for the future — thanks to Audi’s announcement and all the investment that will be done in order to improve our team
“So I think that is good news for our team. Finally we are attractive and we are not spectators, we are a player in the market.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]
During the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko claimed discussions with Carlos Sainz had left him feeling that Red Bull could not compete with an offer Audi had made to the Spaniard, but Alunni Bravi says all teams and drivers are likely to have multiple discussions ongoing.
“I think they are mere speculation, because, every driver, I think, is speaking with a lot of teams to understand the situation, to understand if there could be a common vision on the project, especially for a team like us that is in a full transformation process ahead of 2026. But we are focused on our drivers and we respect our drivers.
“We know that we need to deliver better performance as a team. And this is the first step to start deciding what will be the driver lineup for the future. First, we need to consolidate our performance. So far, we didn’t score points. So I think that the main target, and the priority for the team, is to start scoring points and then to approach the drivers’ market, starting with discussion with our drivers and then having, of course, open eyes on the market.
“It’s not appropriate to disclose what could be the discussion in place. No one really knows what other teams are offering to the drivers, or are discussing with the drivers, and sometimes we don’t want to be part of a game that is done by others … I think that the car performance now is our priority and there will be time to take the right decision for the future.”
Valtteri Bottas has acknowledged that the difficulties currently limiting results for Stake could impact his chances in this year’s driver market, as he ponders potential options in Formula 1 outside of the team. The Sauber-run team has yet to score …
Valtteri Bottas has acknowledged that the difficulties currently limiting results for Stake could impact his chances in this year’s driver market, as he ponders potential options in Formula 1 outside of the team.
The Sauber-run team has yet to score a point this season as it has struggled for performance on certain tracks, but also been severely hampered by pit stop issues. In Japan, a strong result slipped away from Bottas after he had been in the fight for Q3 on the Saturday. A full fix for the pit stop issue is not due until Imola and the Finn — who is out of contract at the end of this season — admits it’s harder to catch the eye when such opportunities are missed.
“That’s how motorsports works — sometimes it’s more difficult to show what you can do,” Bottas said. “I think the people that really look into the details and try to see how each driver is performing, they will see. But I would say that for the outside world, it’s tricky. When you’re not scoring, you’re almost hidden, in a way.
“I feel like I’ve had a couple of good qualifying sessions and good races so far, but they have been always compromised — something has happened, either on the stops or [something] else. All I can do is try and perform the best I can, so hopefully, the right people will see that.
“Absolutely [the team can see it]. They know the work I’ve been putting in. Like last week, still testing for two days in Japan, non-stop, I did five race distances, then flew overnight and went straight into the simulator doing the correlation. So they know.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]
Stating that remaining at Stake — set to become the Audi works team in 2026 — is not his only opportunity for next year and that he has multiple options within F1, Bottas acknowledges it could be dangerous to wait to finalize his next contract given the number of drivers available.
“I think there are things that will start happening quite soon,” he said. “Like, now, obviously Fernando [Alonso] has decided to stay with Aston, so that’s done. And, actually, there are not that many falling pieces anywhere.
“Of course there are questions on some drivers, like what is Carlos [Sainz] going to do? What’s Mercedes going to do? All these things. So, I would say ideally within the next few weeks it starts getting sorted. We’re working on it, for sure — talks have started, so it should be an interesting few weeks ahead.”
Audi has confirmed it will completely take over the Sauber Group ahead of its Formula 1 entry in 2026, with Oliver Hoffmann becoming chairman of the board and Andreas Seidl CEO. The German manufacturer announced its plans to enter as a power unit …
Audi has confirmed it will completely take over the Sauber Group ahead of its Formula 1 entry in 2026, with Oliver Hoffmann becoming chairman of the board and Andreas Seidl CEO.
The German manufacturer announced its plans to enter as a power unit supplier from 2026 onwards back in 2022, later confirming that Sauber would become its works partner. Despite speculation about its commitment to the project due to managerial changes, Audi has now announced it is “accelerating its investment and a full takeover of the Sauber Group from current majority shareholder Islero Investments AG has been agreed.“
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]
“The entry into Formula 1 is not only the pinnacle of Audi’s very successful history in motorsport, but also as big a sporting challenge as it is a financial commitment,” Manfred Doess, chairman of the supervisory board at Audi said. “Through the bundling of Oliver Hoffmann’s responsibilities and the complete takeover of the Sauber Group, we are accelerating our preparations for the 2026 season.”
Hoffmann currently heads up the technical development division at Audi and is on the board, but will step down from those roles to become the general representative responsible for Audi’s entry.
Hoffmann, who will also become chairman of the Sauber Group, has previously been head of Audi Sport, and oversaw multiple motorsport successes including the first-ever win at the Dakar Rally for an electrified drivetrain.
“I would like to thank the entire team at technical development for the great performance in recent years, and I am proud of the outstanding products resulting from our intensive work that we will bring to the streets in the coming months,” Hoffmann said.
“Motorsport, particularly Formula 1, is my big passion. I am convinced that by bundling responsibilities and taking over 100 percent of Sauber Group, we will further accelerate our preparations for the launch in 2026.
“I am pleased we were able to secure the services of Andreas Seidl as Audi F1 Team CEO. He is exactly the right man for our ambitious plan. Thanks to his broad experience from leadership roles on the manufacturer and Formula 1 team side, he will make a significant contribution to Audi’s Formula 1 project.”
Seidl joined Sauber from McLaren just over a year ago, and has been working largely behind the scenes as Alessandro Alunni Bravi takes on team representative duties for the F1 outfit now known as Stake. However, Seidl will officially become CEO of the Audi F1 Team, and says the takeover will help with future plans.
“I thank Gernot Doellner (Audi chairman of the board of management) and Oliver Hoffmann for their trust and am looking forward to leading Audi into Formula 1 together with a highly motivated team as CEO of the Audi F1 Team,” Seidl said.
“We have a clear roadmap for how we want to become competitive in Hinwil as well as in Neuburg. We have ambitious goals. Realization of them is in progress and will be further accelerated through the complete takeover of Sauber by Audi AG.”
Haas has named Ollie Bearman as one of two reserve drivers alongside Pietro Fittipaldi for 2024, with Stake adding Zane Maloney to its roster. Bearman is already fulfilling a reserve role at Ferrari this year alongside his Formula 2 duties, and will …
Haas has named Ollie Bearman as one of two reserve drivers alongside Pietro Fittipaldi for 2024, with Stake adding Zane Maloney to its roster.
Bearman is already fulfilling a reserve role at Ferrari this year alongside his Formula 2 duties, and will have the same responsibilities for Haas as Fittipaldi dovetails his ongoing position with a full-time IndyCar drive. Having impressed in two FP1 outings for Haas late last season, Bearman will also get six FP1 appearances for the team this year, in a show of faith that suggests he is being primed for a future Formula 1 race seat.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]
“I’m really happy to be part of MoneyGram Haas F1 team for the upcoming season,” 18-year-old Bearman said. “I had a great experience last year working with everyone at the team and I’m looking forward to building on that this year. There are several events I’ll be doing FP1s at — alongside the reserve duties, which is exciting. I’m grateful to Haas F1 team and Scuderia Ferrari for their faith and for supporting me.”
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu says the reserve lineup offers a strong blend of potential talent and continuity, with Fittipaldi having fulfilled the role since 2019.
“Oliver did a tremendous job for us last season settling in well and working through both his FP1 run programs in Mexico and Abu Dhabi and then with his test program,” Komatsu said. “We’re looking forward to giving him the opportunity for more outings in FP1 in 2024 — with testing at a premium this is key running time, both for us to evaluate Oliver’s progress but also to enable him seat time in a Formula 1 car.
“Having Pietro with us for a sixth season is valuable as he again provides continuity and he’s been a great contributor to our program over the years, both on- and off-track. We’re excited he’s landed a full-time IndyCar ride this season, so he can do what he loves to do — and that’s to race — but he’s there for us too as part of the Haas family.”
Another F2 driver getting a reserve position for this year is Maloney, with the Bajan talent having left the Red Bull junior program and joined the Sauber Academy. Maloney will share reserve responsibilities for Stake with Theo Pourchaire, who is set to race in Super Formula after winning last year’s F2 title.
“I am honored to join the Sauber Academy, and to take on the role of one of Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber’s reserve drivers,” Maloney said. “The Sauber name resonates with Formula 1, as it has been part of the sport for over 30 years, paving the way for so many drivers who went on to achieve great success. I am pleased to become part of this family, and I am looking forward to working together this season, as I move closer to my goal of becoming a Formula 1 driver.”
The Williams and Sauber Formula 1 teams have both announced their 2024 season launches will take place on Feb. 5. The two teams follow Ferrari in confirming a launch date, with the Scuderia’s new car being unveiled on Feb. 13. The only details …
The Williams and Sauber Formula 1 teams have both announced their 2024 season launches will take place on Feb. 5.
The two teams follow Ferrari in confirming a launch date, with the Scuderia’s new car being unveiled on Feb. 13. The only details provided by the teams is that Sauber’s event will take place in London, and is likely to follow Williams with James Vowles’ team carrying out its launch earlier in the day.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]
Williams is looking to follow an encouraging 2023 season that saw the team improve to finish seventh in the constructors’ championship, and recently confirmed Logan Sargeant will remain one of its two race drivers alongside Alex Albon.
For Sauber, it marks the first season following the end of its Alfa Romeo partnership, with the team officially being renamed as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber and its 2024 car to be known as the C44.
“Our team is working around the clock to produce an incredible show that will unleash our new team identity in full and bring back the ‘wow’ factor to our sport,” the team stated in its announcement of the launch date.
Sauber has renamed its Formula 1 team “Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber” as part of new naming rights deals following the end of its Alfa Romeo partnership. The change has been confirmed in the 2024 entry list that has been released by the FIA, with Sauber …
Sauber has renamed its Formula 1 team “Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber” as part of new naming rights deals following the end of its Alfa Romeo partnership.
The change has been confirmed in the 2024 entry list that has been released by the FIA, with Sauber announcing that streaming company Kick, an existing major partner for the team, has secured naming rights to the chassis for the next two seasons.
From 2026 the team will be known as Audi, but until then two companies under the same Easygo umbrella — title partner Stake was already involved since last year — will be part of the team’s official name.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]
“Sauber has always been about innovation, breaking the mould and defying convention,” team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi said. “The partnership with Kick.com is the latest and boldest display of the philosophy that drives us.
“Kick.com is redefining the way live streaming is done and they will adopt the same disruptive approach in the world of Formula 1. With Kick.com, our goal is to make the next step in finding new and innovative ways to get closer to our fans.”
The entry list also reveals that AlphaTauri has retained the same team name at this stage, with the official entry called “Scuderia AlphaTauri RB.” The “RB” moniker allows flexibility with the final name for the team that is used, as a nod to Red Bull but a rumored change to “Racing Bulls” emerging over the final races of last season.
While Zhou Guanyu hopes to extend his stay at Sauber beyond this season, he says long-term stability is unlikely with multiple driver contracts expiring at the end of 2024. Currently racing as Alfa Romeo, the team will rebrand at the end of this …
While Zhou Guanyu hopes to extend his stay at Sauber beyond this season, he says long-term stability is unlikely with multiple driver contracts expiring at the end of 2024.
Currently racing as Alfa Romeo, the team will rebrand at the end of this season ahead of its transition into Audi’s F1 works team in 2026, and Zhou’s contract is set to expire after this year. The Chinese driver has delivered improved consistency and sits just one point behind teammate Valtteri Bottas in an uncompetitive 2023 car, and while he wants to sign a new deal he’s aware of how chaotic the driver market is likely to look in 12 months’ time.
“We are very open to all aspects for next year, and I myself will prefer staying here (Sauber),” Zhou told Titan Media. “Although it will not be Alfa next year, the team will become a factory team from 2026. So it is very important to me to be here to deliver better performance and fit better within the team. There may be many options during this period because I feel that there could be many shifts in the drivers market next year.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]
On top of deals that expire this year, nine drivers are believed to be out of contract after 2024, including Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly. Despite the uncertainty, Zhou says he is less anxious about his future than he was a year ago, when as a rookie he needed to trigger an option on his contract to remain with Alfa Romeo.
“Last year I might have been more concerned about the seat,” he said. “Although there is nothing confirmed so far this year and I’ve signed nothing related to the future, step by step, everything is proceeding as planned.
“What I need to know more is how to find what I think is the best for myself and the best for my future development. In this regard, I am not as worried as last year, and I will not let myself be concerned too much.
“Of course, I hope to continue what I am doing now — I want to do my best in all aspects and maximize what I have got in all areas (with racing), and leave other things to my management team.”
As part of the Formula 1 managerial merry-go-round that kicked into high gear over the past winter, there were major changes at Alfa Romeo Sauber. Popular team principal Fred Vasseur departed for Ferrari – hardly a slight on the team he was leaving …
As part of the Formula 1 managerial merry-go-round that kicked into high gear over the past winter, there were major changes at Alfa Romeo Sauber.
Popular team principal Fred Vasseur departed for Ferrari – hardly a slight on the team he was leaving – and in his place came Andreas Seidl. Sort of.
Seidl took on the position of chief executive officer of Sauber Motorsport, assuming one of the roles Vasseur had held, but leaving the position of team principal free. And that wasn’t directly filled, as Alessandro Alunni Bravi became team representative.
To suggest it’s simply a communications or optics-based role would be grossly unfair, but given the fact Alfa Romeo hasn’t set the world alight so far this season, there has been little call for Alunni Bravi to spend much time in the limelight.
In fact, he’s rarely enjoyed such a position, despite a career history that involves running teams at the level just below Formula 1 over the past 20 years.
“The sport is my life, not just a passion,” Alunni Bravi tells RACER. “I’ve been really lucky to be born in a small village in Umbria in the center of Italy – Passignano sul Trasimeno – that was the headquarters of Coloni that was in Formula 3, Formula 3000 and Formula 1. And close to a circuit between Perugia and Magione (Autodromo dell’Umbria).
“So when I was a child, and a teenager, I’ve been spending all my life around this. It’s always been motorsport at the center of my dreams, of my life. What I try (to do) is to combine my passion with my work as a lawyer, and I had the chance to start quite early at the end of the 1990s as a lawyer for a team, for drivers, working for driver management company.
“I could combine this with consultancy activity as a legal counsel to management activities for teams or for promoters. Plus, I have been working for the World Rally Championship as a general manager of the Italian round in Sardinia, and also with the sporting department of Fiat Auto Group.
“Then I had my own GP2 team with partners, working with Nicholas Todt. So, a lot of different activities until the day that I joined Sauber together with Fred Vasseur in 2017. Now of course, I’m focused on the F1 team and our Sauber Group. So it has been another evolution. This doesn’t mean that I’m fit for this role, it means that I’m old! But I can of course use my experience for my current job.”
Much like a lot of grand prix drivers, Alunni Bravi spent time in GP2 (now F2) on his way to F1, serving as team principal at Trident. Alistair Staley/Motorsport Images
Alunni Bravi is certainly doing himself a disservice, with the huge amount of motorsport experience being packed into a relatively short space of time and leaving him heading up Alfa Romeo at the age of 48. And although Seidl’s hiring comes with the air of him being the de facto team principal, his Italian counterpart says that’s not how Sauber is now organized.
“I know that people always say that now to be a team principal, or in my position, you need to have an engineering background,” he says. “I think that this is depending on the structure of each team. There are team principals that are previous engineers, because the team required this kind of profile in that particular structure.
“Other than that, there are those with more of a management profile like Toto Wolff or Christian Horner. So it’s really dependent on how you structure the group and the team activities.”
As a proud Italian, Alunni Bravi says he will not be sad when the Alfa Romeo collaboration ends after the current season ahead of the transition to become the Audi works team, because it has been a successful partnership from both sides. But it is very much a time of change at Hinwil, and one that the team representative has a key hand in.
“First of all, we work together hand in hand on a daily basis,” he says. “So someone can think that there is Andreas working on the future and me taking care of the present and this interim period of the team, but it is not like this. We work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to improve the team to deliver results now for our partners in the next years, but also to put the right foundation for what will be a bigger challenge to be a works team as of 2026.
“But we build our future here and now. So it’s a process that we do all together with our management, with our people. It’s not one single individual, but it’s a work that we perform together. And of course, we have the appointment of James Key. This I think is a statement for Sauber Motorsport for what we want for the future.
“We want to increase the quality in our group. We want to develop each single area. And I think that James will be instrumental in shaping – together with us and Andreas – the technical department, which is one of the core departments of an F1 team.”
That shaping is something that Alunni Bravi says is an exciting prospect because the imminent arrival of Audi is “a challenge that should be really attractive to everybody”. But that’s offset by a team that has slipped to ninth in the constructors’ championship behind Williams and Haas this season, having pipped Aston Martin to sixth last year.
It’s a tough spell that isn’t being ignored, but much like James Vowles’ mantra at Williams, the majority of decisions being taken at this point in time are with the future in mind, and without the pressure of a hard deadline for success.
Alunni Bravi says that Sauber’s effort is currently divided between delivering on the present-day program with Alfa Romeo, and preparing for the new chapter as the factory Audi team. Mark Sutton/Motorsport Images
“We prepare the future now,” Alunni Bravi says. “So we need to deliver strong results for us, for our partners, in the next two years, and this is why we are addressing all our weaknesses, and we are working hard to improve each area. James Key is one example of our vision for this, but we are appointing people in every department – it’s just we are not disclosing it.
“This is a process. How much time will it take? We have seen in the past with the likes of Red Bull or Mercedes, it is not easy to arrive and to win. You need time. You need time to find the right people, you need the time to develop your infrastructure.
“You will need time, because in Formula 1 there is a big inertia, and when you take a decision, sometimes you need to wait because the people are subject to gardening leave… (but) you need to create your organization and to make it work. So what is important is that we are taken the right decisions for the future.
“I don’t think is correct to speak about the date or time. We are in 2023. We finished P6 last year in the constructors’ championship, which has been the best result for Sauber in the last 10 years. But the road is long. Of course, we need to work on a daily basis to be ready to be more competitive in 2026. But this will be the start of the project.
“Don’t forget that this will be the first year with Audi in Formula 1, as a works team, as a full manufacturer. So we cannot set the target, but this will be the first year we need to have the structure ready to face the challenges. And then we will see.
“If we have done a good job then we’ll be competitive, if not we’ll just know that we need to improve and we have hard work ahead of us. So it is not really correct now to set that target of when we need to score podiums or fight for wins.”
But will it be Alunni Bravi who gets much of the credit if the Audi transition is a success for Sauber? Or criticism if not? He doesn’t mind either way, but he wants to make clear that his role means he does shoulder the responsibility.
“The reward is not to be more popular or to have my face recognized around the paddock, I think that the reward is the respect of your people,” he says. “I don’t feel a big difference between working behind the scenes or now, I just hope that I represent the team in the correct way.
“Maybe for my friends, now they have the opportunity to see me more on TV, and not only three four times a year when I get the chance to go back home to stay with my friends! But for me the reward is to do a proper job on a daily basis for the team.
“And then I hope that also people understand through myself how much commitment and effort we are putting into this project. How much as a team we are working hard to develop ourselves. You can do the right choice, we can do bad choices, but I’m a person that never was afraid to take a decision. For me, it’s important that we take decisions.
“In Formula 1, you need to take responsibility for what you do. This is the most important part of my job.”
