Audi F1 team set for ‘imminent’ Qatari investment

• Unclear whether fund will opt for minority investment or more sizeable shareholding
• Qatar reportedly willing to invest up to €1bn
• Audi’s parent company Volkswagen Group experiencing financial difficulties 

The Audi Formula One team is set to sell off a portion of the Sauber outfit to Qatar before entering the series, according to several reports.

First revealed by journalist Joe Saward, the deal now appears to be imminent with multiple reports linking the country’s sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), to the team.

On the surface, this seems to be a surprise turn from Audi executives after committing to a 100 per cent takeover of the team in March. But a financial crisis at the German manufacturer’s parent company has prompted a rethink.

Volkswagen Group, which owns Audi, saw profits fall 42 per cent in the third quarter of 2024 as shares hit a 24-year low. The company also asked its workers to take a ten per cent pay cut, with chief financial officer Arno Antlitz conceding that Volkswagen is facing “essential and painful decisions”.

With Audi’s profits dropping 91 per cent in the same period, the knock-on effect for the brand’s Formula One programme is sizeable.

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Investment from QIA would help ensure that Audi is better placed to be competitive in Formula One without placing more financial strain on the company amid its current crisis.

Motorsport.com reports that the sovereign wealth fund is prepared to invest up to €1 billion (US$1.1 billion) in the programme.

The connection makes sense as QIA already owns a 17 per cent stake in the Volkswagen Group, making it the third-largest shareholder of the brand.

However, what isn’t clear is how this investment would take shape.

If QIA secured a minority investment, then it could support Audi’s goals in Formula One without changing the external branding of the team. But a more sizeable injection of money may see Qatar want partial or full naming rights to the team.

This isn’t the first time that the priorities of Audi’s Formula One project have shifted, after Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffmann left the project earlier this year and ex-Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto assumed control.