Sauber has reiterated that Audi remains “fully committed” to Formula 1 but confirmed the marque will not have any branding presence in the team until 2026.
Last year it was announced that Audi would enter F1 for the first time, taking over the Sauber-owned squad upon the impending overhaul to the technical regulations in 2026.
The Hinwil-based outfit had previously been running under the moniker of Alfa Romeo since 2018, having been tied to a title sponsorship deal with the Italian car brand.
However, with that agreement coming to an end at the end of this year, the team is set to revert to the Sauber name for 2024 as it builds towards Audi’s fully-fledged F1 arrival.
The return of the Sauber identity could pave the way for it to subtly advertise Audi’s entry, but Team Representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi has denied that could be an option.
Asked whether any Audi branding could appear at Sauber before the name above the door is changed, Alunni Bravi told Autosport: “No. Audi will enter in 2026.
“Commercially speaking, it is important to have a big bang in 2026, not to dilute the Audi involvement with the team. So, we will continue as Sauber, based on the heritage of the group.”
Alunni Bravi has revealed that Sauber had already agreed a new title sponsorship arrangement in advance before this period, which will be announced early next month.
“We already planned the next step. And of course, we signed that title partner already at the beginning of 2022 for the next two seasons,” Alunni Bravi added.
“The FIA will publish the entry list of 2024 around the 10th of December, and we will also communicate at that time, not before, who will be the team name for the next two seasons and the title partners for our team.
“We have everything clear for the next two seasons. And I want to reiterate they are not two transition years. They are two years that are part of a long-term project that needs to bring the team to the next level.”
Reports earlier this year speculated that Audi was reconsidering its intention to enter F1, heightened by the departure of the German manufacturer’s ex-CEO, Markus Duesmann.
Duesmann’s replacement, Gernot Dollner, has failed to ease those doubts, but Alunni Bravi insists that he is in no doubt that Audi’s commitment to its F1 project is unwavering.
“Between Vegas and Abu Dhabi, I’ve been in Ingolstadt [Audi’s Headquarters],” Alunni Bravi disclosed. “So, I think that there is a commitment.
“I’ve seen people that are fully committed, and they are working really hard. We know that the challenge is big, but there is a full commitment.”
Expanding on his knowledge of its devotion to the sport, Alunni Bravi outlined that Audi’s venture into F1 had been ratified by every level of the company’s hierarchy.
“The commitment of Audi was really strong from the very beginning,” the Italian said. “The project, the F1 project, has been approved by the Audi management board, has been confirmed by the Supervisory Board of Audi and has been then confirmed by the Supervisory Board of VW.
“So, it is a commitment at any level within the Audi/VW Group.
“The change of the CEO doesn’t change this approach, because it was not a decision of a single individual or the board, it was a decision of the group.”
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