Audi has sold off a ‘significant’ chunk of its F1 team…

What do you make of this? Audi has flogged ‘a significant’ minority stake in its F1 team, amid ongoing speculation that its takeover of Sauber isn’t going all that smoothly.

Let’s recap: back in 2022 Audi agreed to enter F1 as a full works team, and it has slowly been taking over Sauber - formerly badged up as Alfa Romeo - ever since.

All along the cunning plan has been for it to join the grid when F1’s regulations are revamped in 2026, with everything from its own engine to Audi-branded washers (probably).

However, discernible levels of turmoil have been bubbling away in the background, and in July it fired Andreas Seidl as the project lead and removed Oliver Hoffman as Sauber’s chairman of the boards.

Ex-Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto is now leading Audi’s F1 charge with Gernot Döllner installed as CEO. The team has also poached Jonathan Wheatley from Red Bull as its new team principal.

All of this flak - coupled with the threat of VW Group plant closures - has led to speculation that Audi might cut its losses and find a route out of F1 before it has a Toyota-scale nightmare on its hands. But there’s little evidence of that happening… for now.

The sale of a minority share in the team - to QIA, the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar - means it still has full control of the F1 operation, and has secured ‘substantial’ investment that it can now deploy on improving the infrastructure at its bases in Neuberg and Hinwil.

“The investment by QIA reflects the trust and confidence the Audi F1 Project has already garnered, underscoring unwavering commitment of Audi to the initiative,” said Döllner. “This additional capital will accelerate the team’s growth and is yet another milestone on our long-term strategy.”

Basically, it’s the same as when Ryan Reynolds and several other famous faces took a stake in Alpine, but without the involvement of Hollywood actors and footballists.

And why would anyone buy some of an F1 team right now? Because the sport is booming, and the value of teams has skyrocketed in recent years. Ker-ching!

Expect Audi to hold on to what’s effectively a massive pot of gold. At least until a seismic offer comes in…