Sauber owner Audi to open F1 base in the UK

As owner Audi prepares to make its official formula 1 debut in 2026, the Swiss-based Sauber team will launch a UK base this year.

In order for Audi to tap into the engineering talent there, Sauber stated that the new technical center would be located in the so-called “motorsport valley” in the south-east of England.

The base would “enable the team to collaborate with top experts and recruit local engineering talent for the Audi F1 project,” according to the statement.

Because its headquarters are located in Hinwil, Switzerland, Sauber has historically struggled to recruit engineers.

Engineers can frequently switch between UK teams without having to deal with major life changes, such as moving house or opening a school for children.

Other than Sauber, the only one of the 10 teams without some form of base in the area comprising Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Surrey is Ferrari, which has its own unique historic appeal to potential targets.

The new base’s location has not yet been decided. Audi said it was “evaluating potential locations within ‘ motorsport valley’, including Bicester, Silverstone, and Milton Keynes”. By the summer of 2025, it stated that it wanted to have the UK technical center operational.

The new UK centre will be an integrated part of the team’s design department, which will still be based at the main F1 factory in Hinwil. Audi’s engine department is located in Germany’s Bavaria town of Neuberg an der Donau.

Mattia Binotto, the company’s chief operating and technical officer, stated that Hinwil and Neuburg “will continue to lead our main engineering operations and experience the largest team growth.”

Binotto added: “Expanding into the UK allows us to remain close to one of the world’s most dynamic motorsport ecosystems.

” Our vision is to create a strong, collaborative network across Hinwil and the UK, driving innovation and&nbsp, performance. “

Audi claims it is aware of how much work is needed before Sauber can realize its goal of competing front in the constructors’ championship until 2024 when it placed last.