Audi, for everyone in F1: “We want to be in a position to win in three years”

A few months ago, at the last Formula 1 Belgian GP, ​​what was an open secret was revealed: Audi will make the jump to the F1 World Championship from 2026, taking advantage of the new engine regulations that will come into effect there. season , with more electricity in a competition that will also bet on sustainable fuels with the goal of having a zero carbon footprint on the track by 2030. After this announcement, although Audi bought the majority percentage of Sauber, which has already begun to expand its current facilities at its headquarters in Neuburg (Germany) for the creation of its own engine, this Monday, in Madrid, in Madrid, at an event at Audi Spain, the head of the Audi project in the Formula 1, Adam Baker, appeared for the first time to talk about the exciting future that awaits the brand with four rings in what will be its new home: the ‘Great Circus’.

Audi is facing a big challenge, working four years from now and against the clock, after launching last year the ambitious goal of reaching the Dakar with an electric car, which senior Carlos Sainz will aspire to of victory in the 2023 Dakar. The challenge in F1 has the same end. Audi wants to succeed in F1 as it did in its day in Le Mans, DTM, Dakar, Rallies or Formula E. Baker said he was clear about the difficulty of entering F1, the failures of other brands that have tried before and that winning should be a long-term goal, but he assured that the goal is “to be in a position to win in in three years”, that is, in 2029, and that they are very clear that 2026 is the ideal starting point, taking advantage of the fact that there is a regulatory change for everyone.

As for its possible relationship with Sauber, something that remains unannounced, the Audi project manager does not want to reveal details. “In principle, the concept of the project, we are considering all alternatives. We will inform the partner later this year and we will explain how we will work”, he pointed out. However, when asked by MD, he clarified that they have very clear ideas: “We understand what we need to find in the ideal partner and this will allow us to find success in the future.”

Moreover, he also confirmed to this newspaper that it would be interesting to have a veteran F1 driver help them in the development of the car in his work the simulator. He was asked proper names like Carlos Sainz or Fernando Alonso. Adam spoke wonders to both of them and made no secret that it would be fun to be with either of these two horsemen, but he couldn’t name specific names because there were three and a half years left, “too much time” .

GOALS AND THE CHALLENGE OF WINNING F1 AND THE TIME IT WILL TAKE

“We understand the scale of the challenge and we have it in mind, but we are also excited. We want to show that we can achieve success. The board members know a lot about F1 and they know the challenges involved. About different houses, different situation. We have a lot of time to prepare, 42 months before the first race and others have had half that time. Then the 2026 regulations… we are at the beginning of this cycle of regulations, it’s just the beginning. And the scale of change is huge. Changes need to be considered in 2026 and this will be the biggest change in modern times. As an entry point, 2026 is a very attractive year.

“We would love to be competitive from the start but we have to be realistic. We want to be in a position to win races in three years. There are changes in regulations, laws, and everyone is working with these financial restrictions (the budget ceiling will decrease and decrease). This is a very different situation from the past where some teams could have an advantage. In this situation, three years is a realistic path.”

COST

“From 2023, we are subject to the limit, of course. But in 2022 the strategy we proposed is to invest in the infrastructure and facilities of the team to reach 2023 and cover only operational costs.

“To win in F1, we will invest in the team, in the team, in its entirety. In F1 to win you have to be more innovative than the competition, but now it’s a fixed cost, so you have to optimize things.

PILOTS

“A lot of people are interested in what Audi thinks. is close. There are still three and a half years left and there is time for many changes in the driving market. We will have a program, the simulator and we will work with the pilots to in development, and it’s important. It can be linked to a talent show or a young driver show, but we’ll talk about that later.”

“Now the pilot works more in the simulator and test bench. It will be very interesting to have a veteran driver and of course we are considering it, yes”.

Carlos Sainz

“It’s going to be incredible. But there are still many years left. It will be great, of course.”

FERNANDO ALONSO

“And Alonzo? The Dream Team! Of course we have this interest but it’s very difficult to imagine what will happen in 3 years. We can dream, it’s speculation, but we can’t seriously say what we can do.”

POSSIBLE CUSTOMER MOTOR TEAMS

“We will be ready, we are committed, but at the moment we are not looking for a specific client. Regulations may force us to give machines to other teams”.

THE TIME YOU NEED AND THE BUDGET

“The budget ceiling is very important. This is part of the decision. This allows us to know what costs we have in F1 in the long term, and then, secondly, we can reduce and cheapen the cost of participation. It is very important to have a decrease in costs and allows us to think of a positive marketing case for a sustainable cycle in terms of the financial aspect”.

FIRST MODEL PRESENTED IN AUDI COLORS

“We knew there was going to be an important announcement and we wanted an icon, something tangible and felt. And also what we saw was very interesting, the media coverage around the world. And we thought that if we wanted to show our ourselves, we must show what will happen. We prepared this car secretly and it is a vision of the car. Here we do not consider sponsorships, it is a car like a canvas, a blank page”.

DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE CAR

“We are starting now in Neuburg, near Ingolstadt. We are starting now because the development of the electric motor and the chassis and the vehicle is very important. It will be published in 2024. We will make the engine part in Germany and then the continuous integration. The trials will be launched in mid-2025, probably in Spain, and then we will start in 2026.

THE ENGINE, WHEN WILL YOU PREPARE? THERE ARE TEAMS THAT SAY THEY HAVE TRIED IT

“Before the end of the year we will build the machine”

IMPORTANT FOR FITTING NEW ENGINES

“The goal is attractive and ambitious, to achieve sustainable and innovative parrots. We are looking for engines with high capacity, research and development, and the sustainable fuels of the future need to be developed based on what we do ”.

“Audi wants to be part of this change. Future plans force us to focus on being environmentally friendly and F1 is a fantastic communication and marketing tool. It’s the perfect place for Audi to show the knowledge its an international audience and the most important market for Audi.

PEOPLE IN THE PROJECT

“We were able to start very quickly with a very good group of technicians, so we didn’t have to recruit anyone or hire outside. We are about 130 people. We are building the team very quickly. The last number… is a good question but you have to think about how much money there is for internal and external expenses and an association… yes, it will be more than 300”

SCHEDULE FOR THE CREATION OF THE CAR AND THE PROJECT

“There are 42 months left and we are very good in terms of schedule. We started in March and are very happy with our progress. We are doing well.”