Sauber launches UK engineering hub ahead of Audi F1 takeover in 2026

Sauber is set to establish a United Kingdom base as it prepares to morph into the Audi Formula 1 factory team in 2026.

The team’s headquarters will remain in the Swiss municipality of Hinwil, while running its power unit operation in Neuburg, Germany.

But it will now open a third location in the UK’s ‘motorsport valley’, which covers England’s South East and Midlands regions where seven F1 teams are currently based.

Sauber’s move is to capitalise on attracting the best talent available by appealing to workers already employed at teams around the Silverstone area.

The Swiss outfit, which finished bottom of the 2024 F1 constructors’ standings, hopes that the new engineering hub will be opened this summer, allowing newly recruited staff to remain in the UK rather than relocating overseas.

This initiative is a key component of the Audi project’s long-term strategy to expand its technical team. Sauber says it is looking at potential sites including Bicester, Silverstone and Milton Keynes ahead of Audi’s full takeover for the 2026 campaign.

Mattia Binotto, CEO and CTO of Sauber Motorsport, said: “We are excited to establish our technical centre in the UK to complement our key sites in Hinwil and Neuburg, that will continue to lead our main engineering operations and experience the largest team growth.

“Expanding into the UK allows us to remain close to one of the world’s most dynamic motorsport ecosystems.

“Our vision is to create a strong, collaborative network across Hinwil, Neuburg, and the UK, driving innovation and performance.”

The UK engineering hub will not form part of the proposed FIA ‘cost cap offset’ for 2026, which is set for Sauber to benefit from a higher cost cap due to Switzerland’s high cost of living.

Sauber has long argued its staff costs are higher as a result, compared to its rival teams in the UK and Italy (where Ferrari and Racing Bulls are based).

“It is our responsibility to be fair,” FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis said at the 2024 United States Grand Prix.

“It became obvious to us that salaries in certain countries are much, much higher and cost of life is much higher in certain countries.

“I see it myself, I live in Geneva. Whenever I go to the supermarket I think about it. And we felt that a team based in a high-labour-cost country like Switzerland would end up having approximately 30 percent or even 40 percent fewer people working on the car, which we felt was fundamentally unfair.

“We’ve decided that this could either lead to us trying to take some protections from a regulatory point, or it would eventually mean that teams could not operate and a team like Sauber would have to basically close and move to another country, which we don’t think is the right way for a world championship to operate.”