Sauber’s transformation into the Audi Components 1 works crew in 2026 will proceed to drive a major enlargement of the Swiss outfit’s workforce, in accordance with managing director Alessandro Alunni Bravi.
With Audi’s monitor document in motorsport and Sauber’s experience in F1, the partnership goals to shake up the Components 1 panorama from 2026.
The continued enlargement of the workforce at Hinwil is a testomony to the crew’s dedication to construct a reputable power within the sport succesful in the long run of contending for race wins and championship titles below the Audi banner.
Saudi’s headcount had been dwindling in recent times as a consequence of monetary constraints, reaching a low of simply 220 workers previous to being acquired by Swedish billionaire Finn Rausing in 2017.
Rausing’s funding and the crew’s subsequent industrial partnership with Alfa Romeo fueled a interval of development, greater than doubling the crew’s dimension by the top of 2023.
Learn additionally:
Brundle questions Sauber’s presence in F1: ‘Why do they exist?’
This enlargement acquired an additional enhance when Audi introduced its takeover in August 2022, attracting much more expert professionals to the crew’s ranks.
Whereas many of those new hires are nonetheless certain by non-compete clauses with their former groups, they characterize a major inflow of expertise for the long run Audi-Sauber partnership.
Alunni Bravi emphasizes that the precedence is discovering the precise individuals to fill the increasing roles, even earlier than investing in new amenities to accommodate them.
This give attention to expertise acquisition displays Sauber’s dedication to constructing a robust basis for Audi’s Components 1 enterprise.
“We now have undertaken an essential recruitment plan,” commented Alunni Bravi, quoted by Motorsport.com. “In fact, the results of the plan can be extra seen within the subsequent few years, as a result of with each new appointment usually you’ve gotten a gardening depart interval to affix a competitor.
“So we began with the recruitment. In fact, we are going to ramp up our construction, each by way of head counts, by way of know-how, within the subsequent few years as a result of all of the funding that must be made and put in place requires additionally a little bit of time.
“I at all times stated that, financially talking, there was no downside. We began our journey in 2017 after I joined the crew with Fred Vasseur. We have been round 220 individuals, and we now have reached greater than 500 individuals this yr, and we are going to take a step by way of headcount additionally subsequent yr.
“However it’s a course of that takes time, and annually there’s a plan to broaden our departments, our amenities, and naturally, our workers.”
©Sauber
Alunni Bravi emphasised that Sauber’s funding plans are totally mentioned beforehand with Audi in accordance with Sauber’s present governance construction.
“I’ll say that there’s a regular dynamic between the 2 shareholders, the place all of the funding plan for the long run till 2030 a minimum of is in dialogue,” he stated.
“And we’re simply working in accordance with the governance in place. In fact, the governance will change in accordance with the totally different steps by way of acquisition that Audi will take. That is regular, as in any firm the place you’ve gotten two shareholders.”
Because of Components 1’s stringent value cap guidelines, Sauber and Audi are constrained on the funding entrance. Nonetheless, the expanded capital expenditure awarded to mid-field groups by F1 and the FIA will profit the crew’s funding plans.
“We’re the primary ones to know that there’s a step, an enormous step, that’s wanted in every single space,” added Alunni Bravi.
“However we all know that every one the steps that we’re doing, all of the funding that we’re doing, will lead us to a stronger place by way of the package deal that we will design, by way of how we function, by way of processes.
©SeanBull
“Remember that we’re working inside a regulatory framework the place there’s a fastened perimeter by way of value cap, for the capex.
“We can not do prefer it was previously when a automotive producer got here and joined F1 and made huge funding in a single or two years. We have to act in accordance with the principles.
“And these additional allowances for capex which were accredited within the F1 Fee and by the FIA will enable us to speed up that funding plan.
“However as at all times it is a know-how sport. So we want time. We have to take the precise choices. And that is why [Sauber CEO] Andreas [Seidl] is totally centered, after all, on the transformation course of as our chief of the crew to allocate the finances when it’s essential, when it’s extra performance-related.”
Maintain updated with all of the F1 information by way of Fb and Twitter
The submit Sauber to broaden F1 workforce forward of Audi entry appeared first on F1i.com.
