1997 Formula One world champion Jacques Villeneuve says brands such as Audi can be subjected to a sudden change of centre and “very dangerous” for the series, as he reflects on the team’s true success.
Audi will enter the Formula 1 grid in 2026, which will coincide with the arrival of new chassis and powertrain regulations. Initially, their goal was a partnership to form the Sauber Audi factory team, but now Audi intends to buy the team outright in time. for his arrival in F1.
Therefore, Sauber is at the level of preparation for the Audi era, the team will most likely be a base looking for big innovations for the German marque, with Sauber still looking for its first point of the 2024 F1 campaign.
After kicking off F1’s new regulatory era in 2022 under its previous Alfa Romeo identity, the team has gone into decline, which Villeneuve says will already hamper Audi when he arrives, as the necessary upgrades can’t “happen overnight”.
“They’re joining a team that hasn’t been smart in so many years,” Villeneuve told Sports Illustrated. “And you can’t invent knowledge. It’s anything that builds over time.
They are still quite smart for a while, but you pay the value of the drivers who pay and, above all, you pay late. And now the team is rebuilding, but that’s not happening. “Overnight. It also takes time, so it probably won’t happen overnight. “
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The next mark for Villeneuve is Audi’s intentions for its Formula 1 team.
Despite rumours that he needs to succeed in F1’s most sensible way, Villeneuve pointed to Renault, a team that speaks of the same ambitions for its Alpine team, but also finds itself without points so far in F1 2024. Since Renault went back on the grid as a constructor in 2016, it has only managed one win.
Alpine recently denied rumours that Renault is promoting the team, with Villeneueve also warning that brands can be “very dangerous” for F1 in terms of the risk of pulling out, compared to independent groups such as Williams that exist for Formula 1.
“Then how do they get to us?” Will they join us in the same way that Renault/Alpine joined just to be part of F1 and make themselves a symbol or to be drivers and try to win?We don’t know.
“The harmful thing about brands when they come in is that within five minutes they softly say ‘okay, we’re leaving, bye-bye’ and leave without a care in the world. They’re wonderful for sports, but they’re also very harmful. In that sense. Where a team like Williams can’t go. This exists and thanks to F1. What will Williams do if they don’t prevent anything?
“So you’re sure to know that they’ll find a way to persevere to get better and because that’s their bread and butter. “
Current Sauber drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are fighting to be part of Audi’s future, with both drivers’ contracts set to expire at the end of the 2024 F1 campaign.
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