Audi set to test full PU and hire 300 F1 employees by end of 2023

By Chris Medland April 19, 2023 7:58 AM

By Chris Medland | April 19, 2023 7:58 AM ET

Audi says it is on track to run a full power unit on its test benches by the end of this year, as recruitment of staff for the manufacturer’s Formula 1 project is due to peak at over 300 at the same time.

Audi enter F1 as a full constructor in 2026, partnering with Sauber for its works entry that will also include its own power unit. Under the umbrella of Audi Formula Racing GmbH the team has been established at Audi’s facility in Neuburg an der Donau in Germany, and it is presenting its F1 project during the ongoing Auto Shanghai motor show, where it confirmed the intention to run its first full power unit by the end of this year.

The final quarter of 2023 is also when Audi says it expects to complete its hiring of staff for the project, with a total of over 300 planned despite the partnership with Sauber.

“More than 260 specialists are already on board,” Audi confirmed in a press release. “The core of the development team consists of experienced Audi Sport and Audi employees with many years of diverse expertise in electric motorsport. They are joined by specialists with Formula 1 expertise who have been sourced externally and will strengthen the team in a targeted manner.”

Oliver Hoffmann — member of the board of management for technical development at Audi AG — says progress has been accelerating when it comes to Audi’s preparations to enter F1, with additional test rigs for power unit development set to be installed in a new 32,000 square foot building at Neuburg later this year too.

“The Audi Formula 1 project has really taken off in recent months,” Hoffmann said. “In the ongoing concept phase of the power unit, the foundation of our drivetrain for 2026 is being laid today.

“We attach great importance to detail work, for example on materials or manufacturing technologies, and we also focus on topics such as the energy management of the hybrid drivetrain. After all, efficiency is a key success factor for Formula 1 and the mobility of the future, these approaches will advance both worlds.”

Sauber has already hired former McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl — who previously worked for Audi’s fellow Volkswagen Group brand Porsche — as its CEO to help with the transition from Alfa Romeo to Audi over the coming years.

Audi, Power Unit, Formula 1