There is still more than a year left for Audi to enter Formula 1 and its project does not stop giving us surprises. If a few months ago they changed the visible heads of the future team, now Audi has directly divested part of the property. The State of Qatar becomes a partner, and it is not something minor.
In the midst of the VAG Group crisis, Audi gets rid of part of its Formula 1 team even before starting. When the hoops brand opted for the big circus, it did so with the premise of creating a 100% German team, completely owned and controlled, and that would surpass Mercedes. But reality is hitting them.
Audi is going to sell part of its shares to Qatar to finance itself
The Audi team will not be wholly owned by Audi. One of the initial premises of the VAG Group is not going to be fulfilled, since everything indicates that They are going to sell a percentage of the shares to the State of Qatar soon. In fact, the official announcement is expected to come in three weeks, precisely during the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix.
Audi bought 100% of the Sauber team with the aim of having full command capacity, but even before arriving they will have to give up their philosophy. The VAG Group’s financial problems will force them to sell shares to Qatar to generate capital and promote the creation of the team.
It is not the first big change that the Audi project has undergone even before entering Formula 1. Let us remember that initially Andreas Seidl was the leader of the project, signed from McLaren with much fanfare, but the German was fired a few months ago and is now Mattia Binotto, ex de Ferrariwho takes his place.
In Formula 1 it is not strange that a percentage of the ownership of some teams belongs to entities or states in the Middle East. Without going any further, McLaren or Aston Martin are in similar situations. But the case of Audi is surprising because it is the umpteenth lurch in a project that has already changed its mind many times before starting.
By the way, Audi has finally announced what its first driver pairing will be in Formula 1. They will form it the German veteran Nico Hülkenberg and the young Brazilian Gabriel Bortoletowhich will race next season in Sauber, the parent team of what will be Audi from 2026.
We will see if this alliance with Qatar serves to the Audi project gains a little more credibility within a Formula 1 that doubts him a lot.
Source: www.motorpasion.com
