Sauber is not going through a particularly bright moment; in fact, the car is consistently at the back of the grid, and the development packages brought to the track so far have not generated the expected time improvements. The team is in a phase of restructuring and evolution, which will see it become Audi’s official team in 2026, with the construction of its own Power Unit as well as all the elements that make up the car, such as the chassis, mechanics, and aerodynamic philosophy. In the past few hours, the second Sauber driver for 2025, Gabriel Bortoleto, was announced, immediately courted by Mattia Binotto since his appointment to the Sauber/Audi organization in August. The Swiss-Italian engineer has already explained, however, that elevating the German giant will not be a simple or fast process, with the real ambition to be competitive only “by 2030,” taking some inspiration from Ferrari under Jean Todt, when the Frenchman joined in 1993 and won the first championship in 1999. However, this is clearly also a way to keep expectations low externally, while the top management of the German giant expects to be competitive much sooner.
Audi Crisis: Operating Profit Falls by 91% in Q3, -5.5% in Revenue
The difficult moment is well-established, and it is unlikely that a drastic turnaround will be seen in the 2025 Formula 1 season, although the Swiss team expects improved performance from Las Vegas. Nico Hulkenberg, Audi’s upcoming driver, is surely aware that a complicated year awaits him, one that will primarily serve to lay the foundation for the future. However, the concern goes beyond the sporting aspect. Disappointing results in the Constructors’ Championship will lead to lower revenue from Formula 1 in 2025, which has already dropped this season (74 million dollars) compared to the previous one (92 million dollars).
This is an amount that Audi should cover with its own resources. However, the profits of Volkswagen’s premium brand collapsed in the third quarter, with profit falling by 91% and revenue (15.3 billion) decreasing by 5.5% compared to a year ago. The main factor is the 16% drop in sales, which could even lead to the permanent closure of the Brussels plant, as communicated by the German car manufacturer to the unions a few days ago. This facility employs around 3,000 people and produces the electric SUV Q8 e-tron. It is understood that layoffs would not occur before the end of the year, and that the German brand is negotiating the sale of the plant to a commercial vehicle manufacturer to avoid them altogether.
Will the Qatari Sovereign Fund Enter F1 to Support Audi?
It is clear that the significant European automotive crisis does not align well with the heavy investments required in a complex sport like F1, especially for what is the last team on the grid. For this reason, the possibility of the Qatari Sovereign Fund stepping in to help Audi is becoming increasingly important. While 50 years ago Qatar was a relatively unknown state, with far less political and diplomatic weight compared to the Saudis, in the 2000s, the emirate invested heavily in offshore oil reserves and became one of the world’s largest investors. The sovereign fund’s assets are estimated between 100 and 200 billion dollars, with high-profile investments in banking (Barclays), energy (Shell), and luxury brands such as Chanel and Valentino.
The Qatari fund, which is famous in sports for owning the Paris Saint Germain football team (through Qatar Sports Investment) and also Malaga, also holds a stake in Volkswagen, Audi’s parent company, as well as in Porsche. It is clear that Qatar’s potential and likely entry into F1 to support Audi through a heavy sponsorship deal, similar to what Aramco did with Aston Martin (the Silverstone team even changed its name to Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team after the Saudis’ involvement), or even through the purchase of shares, as high-level sources do not deny that Volkswagen is considering a partial sale of the team, would bring a significant financial boost to support the team. This would allow Audi’s project to proceed without major financial or ‘social’ setbacks, enabling the team to focus entirely on preparing for 2026, theoretically without too many external distractions during the darkest period in the European automotive sector, especially the German one.
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