Audi could announce its entry into Formula 1 for 2026 at the Belgian Grand Prix after agreeing a deal to take over Sauber.
It is well-known that the German manufacturer is eyeing an entry into F1 when the new power unit regulations are introduced in four years time.
Initially, Audi was linked to buying McLaren but that was vehemently denied by the Woking-based outfit. Other teams were then rumoured to have had talks, including Aston Martin.
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More recently, a tie-up with Sauber has become the clear route for Audi to achieve its F1 goal, and now Motorsport.com reports a deal has been reached between the two parties and could be made official as soon as this weekend at Spa.
Under the arrangement, Audi would buy in to Sauber and operate it as a works team from its HQ in Switzerland, while the power units would be produced at their base in Neuberg, Germany.
It is a similar situation to when Sauber raced as BMW in the late 2000s and coincidently, current Audi CEO Markus Duesmann was head of development at the team during that period in 2007-2009.
Since 2018, Sauber has been in partnership with Alfa Romeo, with the Italian brand taking over the full naming rights of the team in 2019.
That collaboration is ongoing on a year-by-year basis and will likely continue until 2025.
At the same time, F1 is also awaiting confirmation of Porsche’s entry from 2026 in a partnership with Red Bull.
The first details of that deal were revealed in documents filed in Morocco last month, with Porsche set to acquire 50% of Red Bull Technologies, the parent company under which all F1 operations are included.