Management Turmoil Destabilising Audi’s F1 Project

More talk of management turmoil at Audi has emerged, once again putting a cloud over the Volkswagen brand’s decision to enter Formula 1 in 2026.

Earlier, the removal as Audi CEO of Markus Duesmann – an architect of the decision to pair with and take over Sauber – raised questions about the health of the project.

He was replaced by Gernot Dollner, who is believed to be no keen supporter of Formula 1 – and is now at loggerheads with chief technical officer Oliver Hoffman, according to the major German newspapers Bild and Handelsblatt.

The reports suggest Dollner wants to oust Hoffman, who may then be pushed off to the F1 project. However, Sauber’s transition to Audi is already being overseen by Andreas Seidl.

Early rumours at the Bahrain test suggest Seidl, also a former McLaren team boss, might therefore become a target for Red Bull if Christian Horner is ousted.

The matter could develop further at an Audi supervisory board meeting as soon as Thursday, although a spokesman for Audi told Bild: “As a general rule, we do not comment on personnel matters.”