Ahead of what is expected to be a fairly intense season where drivers compete for the best cockpits, Audi has found itself at the center of market chatter as it searches for the stars it wants to bring into its debut campaign in 2026.
His approach became particularly intriguing after Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko revealed ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix that his team found itself unable to compete with a “lucrative” offer that had been made to Carlos Sainz.
But while the Audi-owned Sauber team insists it is far from having made a decision on its crew, the Swiss team is clear that it will not just be a player minor in the way things are evolving.
Speaking about the Sainz rumors, Sauber team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi said his team was in a much more powerful position in the driver market than in the past.
“There are 14 drivers without a fixed contract for next year and, like all teams, we are talking with different drivers,” said Alunni Bravi.
“Now is not the time for us to make a decision. It is time to provide our drivers with a high-performance car.
“But let me tell you that we are happy to be able to play a different role in the driver market in the future, thanks to Audi’s announcement and all the investments that will be made to improve our team.
“I think that if this is good news for our team, it is that ultimately we are attractive. And we are not spectators. We are a market player.”
Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal and Managing Director of Scuderia Ferrari, and Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Alunni Bravi did not want to be briefed on the specific situation with Sainz, as he said others revealing details about what might or might not happen was part of a “game” to get the best deals.
“It is not appropriate to discuss or disclose what the ongoing discussions might be,” he said. “No one really knows what other teams are offering to drivers or discussing with drivers. We don’t want to be part of a game made by others.”
Instead, he said his team’s main focus now was on improving performance so they could put themselves in a position to score points.
“Each pilot speaks with many teams to understand the situation, to understand if there can be a common vision on the project, especially for a team like ours which is in the middle of a transformation process before 2026,” he said. -he adds.
“But we are focused on our drivers and we respect our drivers. We know we need to perform better as a team. And this is the first step to start deciding what the driver line-up will be for the future. “
“We need to consolidate our performance. So far we haven’t scored points, so I think the main goal and priority of the team is to start scoring points and then approach the market drivers: starting with a discussion with our drivers and then, of course, opening our eyes to the market.”
Ahead of what is expected to be a fairly intense season where drivers compete for the best cockpits, Audi has found itself at the center of market chatter as it searches for the stars it wants to bring into its debut campaign in 2026.
His approach became particularly intriguing after Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko revealed ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix that his team found itself unable to compete with a “lucrative” offer that had been made to Carlos Sainz.
But while the Audi-owned Sauber team insists it is far from having made a decision on its crew, the Swiss team is clear that it will not just be a player minor in the way things are evolving.
Speaking about the Sainz rumors, Sauber team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi said his team was in a much more powerful position in the driver market than in the past.
“There are 14 drivers without a fixed contract for next year and, like all teams, we are talking with different drivers,” said Alunni Bravi.
“Now is not the time for us to make a decision. It is time to provide our drivers with a high-performance car.
“But let me tell you that we are happy to be able to play a different role in the driver market in the future, thanks to Audi’s announcement and all the investments that will be made to improve our team.
“I think that if this is good news for our team, it is that ultimately we are attractive. And we are not spectators. We are a market player.”
Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal and Managing Director of Scuderia Ferrari, and Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Alunni Bravi did not want to be briefed on the specific situation with Sainz, as he said others revealing details about what might or might not happen was part of a “game” to get the best deals.
“It is not appropriate to discuss or disclose what the ongoing discussions might be,” he said. “No one really knows what other teams are offering to drivers or discussing with drivers. We don’t want to be part of a game made by others.”
Instead, he said his team’s main focus now was on improving performance so they could put themselves in a position to score points.
“Each pilot speaks with many teams to understand the situation, to understand if there can be a common vision on the project, especially for a team like ours which is in the middle of a transformation process before 2026,” he said. -he adds.
“But we are focused on our drivers and we respect our drivers. We know we need to perform better as a team. And this is the first step to start deciding what the driver line-up will be for the future. “
“We need to consolidate our performance. So far we haven’t scored points, so I think the main goal and priority of the team is to start scoring points and then approach the market drivers: starting with a discussion with our drivers and then, of course, opening our eyes to the market.”