"The plan is in place" - Audi CEO reaffirms the brand's commitment to F1

Audi's new CEO Gernot Dollner has reassured everyone that the company is still committed to entering F1 as an engine supplier and a team. The German giants announced their entry to F1 back in July 2022 by merging with Sauber.

Since there was no major news of how Audi was preparing to enter the sport, many speculated and discussed whether it had backed off from the project.

However, Dollner claimed that Audi's plan to race in the top single-seater racing series is very much in motion.

"There is a clear decision from the board of management and the supervisory boards of Audi and Volkswagen that Audi will enter Formula 1 in 2026. The plan is in place," he told German business publication Handelsblatt.

Dollner further stated that the former state of senior committees in Audi was convoluted and that his team will now be much faster in making decisions and moving forward with Audi's future projects.

"We used to have a very complex landscape of committees. That is why we have now abolished an entire level of committees below the executive board… in short: we are now faster, and all-important decisions are once again made by the entire executive board team," he added.

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Sauber CEO confirms Audi's commitment to F1

Regarding the lack of information about Audi entering Formula 1, Sauber managing director Alessandro Alunni Bravi also cleared the air and stated that the German automotive giants are still committed.

One of the main reasons why Sauber was not spreading unnecessary news about its project with Audi was because it was respecting Alfa Romeo, who was still part of the team.

Bravi told the media, including RacingNews365.com:

"Audi has a strong commitment to Formula 1, of course together with Sauber. This commitment comes from a decision not only of the board of Audi but also the advisory board of Audi and the Supervisory Board of Audi Volkswagen. It’s a group decision and the commitment is there."

"Why there is a lack of communication is simple. We are Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake. So, until the end of the year, we have certain limitations in communicating about the team, about the future, about the involvement of Audi, and we fully respect Alfa Romeo for this. We don't want to make any kind of announcement or more than what is strictly related to the race and the championship. The commitment, as I said, is there. We are working hard to develop the structure of the team," he continued.

Alfa Romeo is no longer a major title sponsor of Sauber, and the F1 team will undergo a major change in branding until Audi merges with it in 2026.