Formula 1: Sauber owner Audi to open new base in UK

The Swiss-based Sauber team are to open a UK base this year as owner Audi gears up for its official entry into Formula 1 in 2026.

A Sauber statement said the new technical centre would be in the so-called ‘motorsport valley’ in the south-east of England so Audi can tap into the engineering talent there.

The statement said the base would “provide the team with access to the world’s largest motorsport expertise and talent pool” and “establish a platform to collaborate with top experts and attract local engineering talent for the Audi F1 project”.

Sauber has traditionally struggled to tempt engineers to join it because its base at Hinwil in Switzerland requires relocation.

By contrast, engineers can often switch between UK teams without having to make make major life upheavals such as moving house and children’s schools.

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 location of the new base has not yet been decided. Audi said it was “evaluating potential locations within ‘motorsport valley’, including Bicester, Silverstone, and Milton Keynes”. It said it aimed to have the UK technical centre “operational by summer 2025”.

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 at Neuberg an der Donau in Bavaria in Germany.

Sauber chief operating and chief technical officer Mattia Binotto said 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, Neuburg, and the UK, driving innovation and performance.”

Sauber finished 2024 last in the constructors’ championship and Audi says it is aware of how much work is required before it can fulfil its ambition of competing at the front.

Last year, Binotto likened Audi’s task in winning in F1 to climbing Mount Everest.