Audi is poised to sell a slice of its fledging Formula 1 project to Qatar to raise much-needed investment in the project, according to reports.
Earlier this year, Audi announced it was ramping up its 75% majority takeover of Sauber ahead of its 2026 F1 debut, to 100%.
F1 journalist Joe Saward reports via his Business of Motorsport newsletter that the German marque is considering changing its F1 ownership structure to bring in the Qatari Investment Authority as a minority shareholder.
Additional reporting via Autosport reveals that a deal could be announced next week.
Qatar already has ties to the brand and is the third largest shareholder of Audi parent company, the Volkswagen Group, holding a 17% stake behind Porsche (53.3%) and the state of Lower Saxony (20%).
F1 is by no means a cheap enterprise to become successful in, even in the profitable Liberty Media era.
Audi is developing its very own F1 power unit project and Sauber’s Hinwil base needs investment to meet the standards of one of the world’s biggest manufacturers.
Moreover, with Sauber currently rooted to the bottom of the F1 Constructors’ standings, the route to the top for Audi in F1 will be long, painful and expensive.
Audi is amid a financial crisis
Compounding matters is the fact that the Volkswagen AG, Audi’s parent company, is amid financial strife on a large scale.
Arno Antlitz, Volkswagen Group’s Chief Financial Officer, said (via the Guardian) that the marque has “a year, maybe two years, to turn things around” as its sales in Europe dwindle and plans to close factories have put over 30,000 jobs at risk.
There’s also something to be said for the fact that the key figures behind bringing Audi to F1, are no longer a part of the company.
Former CEO Markus Duesmann and board member Oliver Hoffmann were largely responsible for pushing the German brand towards Grand Prix racing but left Audi in the summers of 2023 and ’24 respectively.
Now, current CEO Gernot Döllner is left with the worst team in F1, needing significant investment to improve while his automotive brand is on the verge of major financial upheaval.
Audi F1 project has a potential exit-route
The Qatari investment couldn’t be better timed.
Reports indicate a will to invest up to $1 billion in the Audi F1 project with the potential for the proposed minority share to become a major share in the future.
That would see in all likelihood Qatar or one of its major brands share naming rights of the F1 team and even take control of the Audi engine facility in Neuberg, Germany.
This is not uncommon in F1, with the Mercedes team split three ways between the German marque, CEO and Team Principal Toto Wolff and Ineos.
In addition, should Audi wish to back out of F1 entirely, it could temper embarrassment with a phased sale to Qatari investors.
As it stands, no official confirmation has been made regarding a Qatari investment in the Audi F1 project.
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