Civil war looms as Audi’s F1 project draws closer – Report – Motorsport Week

According to reports, there is trouble in Audi’s up-and-coming Formula 1 league between CEO Andreas Seidl and general representative Oliver Hoffmann.

Hoffmann was practically pushed out of the board of the German manufacturer by Audi boss Gernot Dollner and transferred to the F1 area.

The decision in March to bring Hoffmann into Formula 1 created another management level that, from the outside, appears to clash with Seidl’s responsibilities.

Hoffmann is responsible for overseeing all pillars of Audi’s F1 project, including the Hinwill base operated by Sauber, the development of the Audi power unit in Neuburg and the strategic direction of the F1 team.

In the meantime, Seidl, as CEO, is responsible for realizing the Audi F1 dream as a public figurehead.

On paper, the two roles sound remarkably similar and loud AutoActionAccording to Seidl’s sources, both Seidl and Hoffmann came into conflict.

According to reports, Hoffmann wants to fire Seidl, take over his duties as CEO and poach Mike Krack from Aston Martin as team boss for Audi.

Meanwhile, Seidl is reportedly urging Audi’s supervisory board to throw Hoffmann out, take over his duties as general representative and appoint Krack as Audi team boss.

Essentially, the two most senior members of Audi’s F1 takeover of Sauber reportedly have the same vision of who should best lead the team in 2026 and beyond (Krack). Yet neither party wants the other’s recognition and would rather see the other party removed entirely.

The reported unrest at Audi has all the hallmarks of a corporate mentality aimed at putting too many cooks in the F1 kitchen, which often has a negative impact on the track.

However, this did not stop Audi from appointing former Mercedes employee Stefan Strähnz to the newly created position of program director at Sauber, who reports directly to Seidl.

If the reports of an internal power struggle within the Audi F1 revolution prove to be true, they must be resolved quickly for the good of the entire project.

Not least because there is still a lot of work to be done before Audi enters F1 in 2026.

The Sauber team in its current form is the slowest in the field and there remains the small task of completing the driver line-up for 2025.

Nico Hülkenberg is already confirmed for 2025 and beyond, but his teammate has yet to be chosen due to Carlos Sainz’s hesitation and several options in the pipeline, including drivers such as Esteban Ocon and Liam Lawson.