Toto Wolff has Audi ‘on his radar’ for 2026 success

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has said he is wary of Audi’s competitiveness right from the moment they will enter Formula 1 in 2026.

Having previously announced their intent to arrive in Formula 1 in 2026, the nature of Audi’s entry has now been made clear as the German manufacturer revealed a partnership with Sauber Motorsport – the team currently operating the Alfa Romeo F1 entry.

The same day Audi announced their F1 entry, Alfa Romeo confirmed their partnership with Sauber would come to a close at the end of 2023 – leaving little doubt Audi and Sauber were set to pair up.

Formal confirmation of that deal has now come, with Sauber operating as Audi’s official factory entry from 2026 onwards. They will continue as Alfa Romeo until the end of next year before reverting to Sauber, with Ferrari power units, until the end of 2025.

Toto Wolff “won’t underestimate the VW Group”

Wolff, who also heads up Mercedes’ motorsport programme, has earmarked Audi to do well and hit the ground running in 2026 – even if the task ahead looks huge.

“I would never underestimate the VW Group (parent company of Audi),” said Wolff, quoted by Motorsport-Total.

“I have them absolutely on the radar. They are one of the teams that could be successful in 2026.”

Audi and Mercedes are long-time rivals on the domestic front due to their battles in the DTM series, but Audi have never competed in the Formula 1 World Championship. However, their entry in 2026 will rekindle a Mercedes/Auto Union rivalry that dates back to pre-World War II grand prix racing.

While that historic rivalry has no relevance to modern-day motorsport, Wolff said the overall expertise of the Volkswagen Group will enable Audi to flourish as he highlighted “the financial strength, knowhow and motorsport expertise to get a great project off the ground, and I think the marriage with Sauber is one that fits”. 

Wolff also pointed out the legal framework in Hinwil, a German-speaking region of Switzerland, is similar to that in Germany – which means a cultural clash is unlikely to occur between the two parties.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali thrilled by Audi’s arrival

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali also welcomed the news of Audi’s arrival, saying it is an “exciting prospect” for F1 as a new, prominent manufacturer signs up to race.

“It is great news to hear Audi will have a partnership with Sauber for their entry into Formula 1 in 2026,” he said.

“The combination of those two names is a very exciting prospect for our sport.

“It highlights the strong momentum Formula 1 has and the belief in our strategy to further grow and enhance the sport while delivering on our sustainability plans to be Net Zero Carbon by 2030 with advanced sustainable fuels in the cars in 2026.

“We look forward to seeing their progress over the coming years and the car on the grid for the team’s first race.”

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