Popular German car manufacturing company, Audi, is set to purchase a 75% stake in the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 team
Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 champion, had previously approached Sauber for the same reason at the end of last season.
However, Sauber rejected a €350 million offer, as they felt that the brand was not significant enough.
Audi Set To Acquire A 75% Stake In The Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team
Audi and Sauber Could Announce F1 Partnership Any Day Now: Report / https://t.co/8f5uXbwkMt
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Sauber are apparently willing to take in Audi’s bid for a 75% stake in the Sauber F1 team. Audi is a strong partner as compared to Andretti, and they are willing to pay more than them for fewer shares.
The company also holds the promise of further developing Sauber as a works team, similar to the Sauber-BMW collaboration between 2006 and 2009.
What Audi Brings To The Partnership
If the terms are accepted, Audi will be a strong partner for Sauber in the F1 competition. Besides the presence they bring as a well-known major car-manufacturing brand, Audi is also willing to pay a higher amount for fewer shares than Andretti.
Moreover, they have another advantage in the fact that their current CEO, Markus Duesman, was the head of development for the BMW Sauber between 2007 and 2009.
Markus Duesmann was responsible for pushing the brand’s entry into Formula 1 at full speed. Duesmann was head of development for the BMW Sauber team between 2007 and 2009, and he still knows his way around things superbly.
Positive Support For The Partnership
Former driver Gerhard Berger gave his approval for the move and said,
Audi has an excellent engine department. If Audi does F1, I trust them to give a good picture. Technically, they are good. In the DTM they are with their engine. Some drove in circles around the others.
Audi’s Rumours With Mclaren
Besides their link up with Sauber, Audi has also been reported to take over the Mclaren-Mercedes team for their entry into F1. However, Mclaren Racing CEO Zak Brown shut down the rumours surrounding the takeover. Brown clarified that their shareholders are committed to the British team.
Brown said,
No, our shareholders are very committed to McLaren. We did have conversations with Audi, and we’re not for sale.
We’re very committed to our future. We’re doing really well on the track. Shareholders made substantial investments to give our team the resources we need to get back to the front.
As of now, it looks like the McLaren deal is nothing but just rumours and more focus should be placed on the potential Audi-Sauber F1 partnership.
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