Audi boss talks about possible F1 cockpit for Mick Schumacher

formula 1

In 2026, Audi will start with its own team in Formula 1. “I hope we will have a German driver,” said CEO Markus Duesmann in August when the plans were announced.

However, the list of promising young German drivers is short: Mick Schumacher is on it, otherwise there is currently no one in the under 35 age category who has Formula 1 experience. After losing his regular cockpit at Team Haas, Schumacher will help out as a test driver at Mercedes this year. Meanwhile he hopes that someone will offer him a regular cockpit for the coming year.

But Schumacher is not yet sure of an offer from Audi. In an interview with the dpa, Adam Baker, head of the F1 project at Audi, put the statements of the group boss into perspective.

Engineer and lawyer Adam Baker is to pound a brand new racing team out of the ground for Audi.Image: dpa / Daniel Löb

“Performance has priority”: Audi wants to “fight for victories” within three years

“Of course it would be attractive,” admits Baker, thinking about working with the 23-year-old Schumacher. “but for us, the driver’s performance is a priority,” he clarifies.

Schumacher had started 43 times for Team Haas in the last two years, and he scored points for the first time in July at Silverstone and Spielberg. In the final spurt of the season, however, he was not able to confirm these initial successes, and Haas boss Günther Steiner is still criticizing him for his many accidents. As the last young German driver, he can still hope for a second chance in Formula 1.

However, the question of the pilots for 2026 is “too far away” to make a forecast, says Baker. By then, Schumacher could have got off to a good start with another team, or he could be the third driver at Mercedes himself.

At Audi, preparations for entry into Formula 1 are in full swing: The long-established team Sauber wants to provide the chassis for the new racing team, while Audi wants to develop the engine itself. “It’s the first time since 2009 that a power unit is being developed in Germany,” explains Baker proudly.

Due to a partnership with Fiat, Team Sauber currently competes under the name “Alfa Romeo Racing”.Image: www.imago-images.de / HochZwei

More than 200 employees are already working on the project, the Volkswagen subsidiary is currently still looking for a development driver for the driving simulator. After entering F1, Audi wants to be able to “fight for victories” within three years, as Baker hopes.

The new racing team will be helped by a change in the technical regulations that will take effect from 2026, which will allow car manufacturers to invest significantly more money in the new cars. Nevertheless, it is uncertain how big the gap to the competition will be. “The first and second year can also be tough,” says Baker. The pressure to perform is already noticeable.