Audi set to sell stake in Sauber F1 team to Emirate of Qatar

Reports that Audi is considering selling off a stake in Sauber to the Qatar's sovereign wealth have taken on a new sense of urgency, with media sources suggesting that an official announcement is imminent.

The first rumors were reported by veteran F1 journalist Joe Saward, and now Motorsport.com sources have suggested that a deal could go through as early as next week.

Audi announced in March that it would be buying 100% of Sauber from former owner Finn Rausing for an estimated valuation of around 650 million euros, although the exact amount has never been publicly disclosed. .

But recent weeks have seen the Audi's parent company Volkswagen AG engulfed in a series of business problems, with talk of plant closures and the loss of up to 30,000 jobs.

That's put the spotlight on Audi's decision to formally join Formula 1 through a full takeover of Sauber. Industry insiders say privately that it has become difficult to justify such expenditure in the current climate.

Audi has so far refused to comment on recent rumors of interest in the acquisition of a share in the team from the Emirate of Qatar, stating: “As a matter of principle, we do not comment on speculation.”

• Read also: Sauber F1 aim helped Bortoleto turn around F2 campaign

Instead, Audi has referred to a statement made by CEO Gernot Dollner at the Italian Grand Prix before the summer break which said: "We firmly believe that F1 and Audi are a perfect match. It's in line with our strategy."

However the problems at Volkswagen might result in less money being on hand for Audi to invest in the new venture, meaning that fresh sources of capital from Qatar would be very welcome.

This weekend's reports suggest that the Qataris are willing to spend up to one billion euros on the project if the conditions are right. Qatar already has a 17% stake in Volkswagen making them the group's third-largest shareholder.

Since getting a place on the F1 calendar in 2021, Qatar has been showing an increasing interest in F1's business potential with state-owned airline Qatar Airways already a key sponsor of the sport.

Talks between Audi and Qatar are said to be at an advanced stage, but there is no clear information at this point as to how Qatar would contribute to Audi's F1 programme.

A minority investment would mean few significant changes to the current F1 programme, while a larger amount could see Qatar taking a naming rights deal with the squad.

At the other end of the scale, Qatar could even acquire over more than 50% of the shares in Sauber AG and buy the engine plant in Neuburg.

As well as Volkswagen's current business problems, the departure from the business of two big figures also had an impact. Pro-F1 advocate Markus Duesmann was fired as Audi CEO in the summer of 2023.

Oliver Hoffmann originally oversaw the F1 entry as Audi's board member for research and development, but left in July 2024 along with Sauber CEO Andreas Seidl, previously team principal at McLaren.

Former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has been brought in as the new chief operating and chief technical officer, with Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley headhunted as team principal.

This week, Sauber announced that F2 front runner Gabriel Bortoleto would join Nico Hulkenberg in the team's 2025 driver line-up after the departure of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu at the end of the current season.

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