F1
Qatar becomes a shareholder of Audi F1 Team
The Gulf country's sovereign wealth fund has acquired a stake in the Sauber racing team, which will compete as Audi in F1 from 2026.
Sauber announced on Friday that the Qatar sovereign wealth fund (QIA) is becoming a minority shareholder in the team, which will become Audi’s official F1 team from 2026.
The Gulf States' involvement with F1 continues to grow and while the percentage of QIA’s stake has not been specified, it is believed to be around 30 perecent and worth several hundred million dollars.
“The investment by QIA reflects the trust and confidence the Audi F1 Project has already garnered, underscoring unwavering commitment of Audi to the initiative. This additional capital will accelerate the team’s growth and is yet another milestone on our long-term strategy. QIA’s involvement further energises the dedicated efforts at both the Hinwil (Sauber) and Neuburg (Audi engines) facilities as they work towards the entry of Audi in 2026,” said Audi CEO Gernot Döllner.
QIA seize “exciting opportunity” in F1
Meanwhile, QIA CEO Mohammed Al-Sowaidi said of the deal: “Audi is a premium partner of choice with a rich motorsport legacy. As a long-standing investor in the Volkswagen Group, we believe in Audi’s vision and direction when entering Formula 1 and our investment will support the realisation of this goal".
He added, “QIA believes that Formula 1 is a sport with significant untapped investment potential. The increasing commercialisation of professional sports as an entertainment offering globally, and the increasingly global popularity of Formula 1, has made for an exciting opportunity for our first major motorsports investment.”
It is not the first Middle Eastern country to have a significant presence in a Formula 1 team. McLaren’s main shareholder is Mumtalakat, Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund, and Aston Martin is closely linked to Aramco, the Saudi oil company that is among the most valuable companies in the world and is also a global sponsor of F1 itself.
Sauber struggling in 2024
Sauber are bottom of the 2024 championship, with zero points. Next year, the last under the team’s original name, Hulkenberg and Bortoleto will be the drivers. Mattia Binotto, formerly of Ferrari, is already acting as executive technical director of the project, which has had constant twists and turns since Audi announced its entry into F1, motivated by economic trends in Europe and Germany.
In 2026, there will therefore be 11 teams on the grid, and seven of them will be directly linked to a car manufacturer: Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Alpine, Audi and Cadillac.
As for the rest, Red Bull will maintain commercial ties with Ford and Haas has Toyota as one of its sponsors.