In what has already been an eventful F1 season, one of the teams who have received the least coverage is Sauber.
The Swiss team, who will officially become Audi in 2026, sit at 10th in the standings – with Nico Hulkenberg’s P7 in Australia still their only points from 2025 so far.
Considering their results last year, it cannot be said the C45’s performance is a huge surprise.
Heading into this year’s campaign, the Hinwil outfit knew they would be doing damage limitation as they prepared for the 2026 regulations.
However, this is not to suggest everything is in perfect order for 2026.
On the engine front, Audi expect to be on the defensive – as CEO Mattia Binotto has explained.
Why Audi have a long-term deficit to overcome
McLaren’s Championship triumph in 2024 was a surprise for many, at least in the context of Red Bull’s context the year before.
From a more macro perspective, the papaya team’s success was even more unexpected.
Typically speaking, engine manufacturers have dominated F1 – with Mercedes serving as the best example of this.
Even Red Bull, who have won the last four drivers Championships, had an exclusive engine deal with Honda – which gave them all the advantages of a manufacturer team.
In this sense, the excitement surrounding Audi’s takeover of Sauber is perfectly understandable.
A team who were historically stretched thin in terms of resources – both financial and otherwise – could look forward to the benefits of being an engine manufacturer.
The engineers in Hinwil will continue to work on aerodynamics, although – unlike previous years as a Ferrari customer – they will work in tandem with their power unit department.
This gives Audi complete control over their destiny, a theoretical positive in Formula 1.
However, as the likes of Aston Martin have demonstrated, resources do not instantly guarantee success.
Audi’s F1 project got off to a slow start, with their official 2026 entry only confirmed a few years after the new regulations were announced.
Because of this, the Hinwil operation are slightly behind where they would like to be in the development race.
Binotto’s assessment
For many teams, the 2026 rules are a golden opportunity to climb the field and disrupt the established order.
Aston Martin and Williams are among the midfield teams best placed to capitalise on these regulations.
For Audi, however, their goals are slightly more pragmatic – aiming to cement themselves as a competitive team as they begin an awkward transitional phase from plucky underdog to big-name manufacturer.
Mattia Binotto has touched on this idea in a recent interview:
“In 2013, when a more hybrid was introduced on the power unit, at the beginning it was an engine Championship,” he told it.motorsport.com.
“Because Mercedes had made the difference.
“It is a situation that could repeat itself, and those who have to recover will try to do so…
“As far as we’re concerned, we’re focused on ourselves.
“We know that 2026 won’t be the year in which we’ll be at the top.
“We won’t have the best power unit, but the path that has been taken is the right one, I’m confident.”
Main photo: Andy Hone/LAT Images (via Sauber media gallery)
