Cooperation with Audi – Peter Sauber: “I’m very, very happy” – News

The deal is sealed: The Sauber Group will become a strategic partner of Audi’s F1 program in 2026. Peter Sauber, founder of the Sauber Group, in an interview about the move from a private to a works team.

Peter Clean

Founder and former racing driver


Open the person box
Close the person box

Peter Paul Sauber is a former Swiss racing car driver and founder and owner of the Hinwil-based Formula 1 racing team Sauber Motorsport from 1993 to 2016.

SRF News: Mr. Sauber, when you heard that the deal was working: what was your reaction?

Peter Sauber: I’m very, very happy because the future of the team, of the entire workforce and thus also of the Hinwil site is secured in the long term.

You have already had bad experiences with another German company in this regard. You left again after three years and had to buy back your team in a financial effort. What’s different now?

The Volkswagen Group and therefore also Audi have given careful thought to entering Formula 1. This is a different starting position than we had in 2004.

They sold their entire stake in their life’s work in 2016. How strong is your connection to the racing team?

The emotional bond with the team is still high. It’s my life’s work and it will stay that way.

Other large corporations such as Ford have already tried to enter Formula 1 and failed. Your team is still there today and now with a strong partner behind you. How is that possible?

Obviously I did some things right. There was definitely luck involved. But it takes a lot of perseverance, as well as steadfastness and, above all, employees who have pulled along.

There was definitely luck involved.

My tenacity to keep at it and not give up certainly also played a big role.

What do you expect from VW/Audi?

I’m careful there. I’m sure that the basis is there on both sides so that we can have a successful future together.

Will we see a Swiss team as world champions in the next few years?

One must not forget: It is a sport that is very competitive – more than any other sport. There are ten teams worldwide. Being the best of just ten teams is extremely difficult.

Peter Sauber claps the hands of one of his drivers as he crosses the finish line in Barcelona in 1997.

Legend:

Peter Sauber has been a fixture in the Formula 1 scene for decades. Here he cheers on a pilot in Barcelona in 1997.

Keystone/JIMMY FROIDEVAUX

When you consider the concentrated technology and power behind a competitor like Mercedes, you know: It’s not easy to beat the competition. But that must be the goal.

You have already brought many brands into Formula 1. Who came into Formula 1 with the name Sauber?

First and foremost, of course, Red Bull. The team was also called Red Bull Sauber for a long time, and later Red Bull Sauber Petronas. Ten years later, Didi Mateschitz took over Jaguar and thus fulfilled his dream of having his own team.

Valtteri Bottas' Formula 1 car racing in the USA.

Legend:

Currently, Sauber is teaming up with Alfa Romeo. Here the pilot Valtteri Bottas at the last race in the USA.

Keystone/EPA/GREG NASH

But at the very beginning, in 1993, we brought Mercedes into Formula 1. After Red Bull came BMW, later Alfa Romeo. And now the Volkswagen Group.

Did Didi Mateschitz want to take over your team in the 2000s and let you step down to the second row?

Maybe. That is hard to say. I want to remind you that Mateschitz was heavily involved in Sauber. However, he never tried to take us over. That might have been an alternative. But then the opportunity with Jaguar presented itself.

People like Finn Rausing were also very reliable partners.

Yes, he still is. I had known about the negotiations for a long time. Finn Rausing always kept me up to date. But when it’s in black and white and confirmed by the individual people, as well as by the Audi board of directors, then it’s of a different quality.

Interviewed by Michael Perricone.

source site-72