Renowned journalist Joe Saward in his recent blog has shared that Audi has not withdrawn their interest in F1. Since their project costs approximately $1 billion, the reports of them canceling their entry are likely baseless.
Saward wrote in his blog, “I am reliably informed that the rumors about Audi canceling its F1 programme should not be taken seriously with the project going ahead as planned.”
🚨 | Rumors suggest that the Audi program for the F1 entry in 2026 is not going well and there are chances that the Audi board may decide to put an end to the F1 Project at the end of 2023 year. Will Andretti wait up and buy the Audi stake in Sauber motorsports and enter with… pic.twitter.com/xUue2hhJtI
— Desi Racing Co. (@DesiRacingco) October 6, 2023
Saward then also added, “Things are a little behind at the moment and there may be some changes to come in the management, but the project is definitely going ahead.” Admittedly, there were reports in French media that said the German giant might withdraw their F1 entry after an internal discussion with the board. However, soon after these reports emerged, both the Gemrna manufacturer and Sauber have clarified their stance on the same.
Sauber confirms Audi will join F1 in 2026
Sauber’s managing director Alessandro Alunni Bravi has recently confirmed that Audi is all set to join the sport in 2026. The reports of them dropping the plan are baseless as the German manufacturers have a strong commitment to F1.
Bravi, as per PlanetF1, also assured that the decision was made by both the advisory board of Audi and the Supervisory Board of Audi Volkswagen. Therefore, it was a group decision.
They’ve been a little quiet of late 🤫
But Audi’s commitment to its upcoming F1 project remains unwavering, according to current Alfa Romeo team principal Alessandro Alunni Bravi. pic.twitter.com/qVtGNO9o32
— Autosport (@autosport) November 7, 2023
The German automakers would enter the sport as a Constructor and make their own engines like Ferrari and Red Bull. They have already acquired stakes in Alfa Romeo and by 2026, it is expected that the German manufacturer would take over the entire team and rebrand it as Audi.