Overview
- Audi completed a 100% takeover of the Sauber outfit at the start of the new power‑unit regulations and relaunched the Hinwil team under the Audi name.
- The manufacturer has built its own power unit in Neuburg and produced a credible first‑year package that drivers praise as impressive for a debut but still short of the leading engines.
- Gabriel Bortoleto said in early August 2026 that Audi’s funding and manufacturing support have removed the budget pressures that held Sauber back and changed how people work and think at Hinwil.
- Those changes have translated on track into a move into the midfield, with recent points finishes for Bortoleto and a P9 for Nico Hülkenberg in Hungary showing tangible progress.
- The team stresses the programme is a long‑term project focused on continued power‑unit and car development, with sustained investment and staff in Neuburg and Hinwil aimed at closing the performance gap.