BMW's F1 warning to Audi

[@thevictoryoverhimself7298]

What’s really funny about this is Mercedes-Sauber also existed. This company just lives to eat German money.

[@RBot21]

They rejected Honda in 2018 Sauber-Honda 😔

[@nuckynelson]

Maybe because they are Swiss

[@MsZeeZed]

German road car companies often think controlling an F1 team more efficiently is to have it a short drive down the autobahn. They need to take a lesson from Mercedes latter history in F1; finding a strong partner, Ilmor / AMG, Lauda / Woolf are the people who made them great again in F1. Audi’s answer of start in-house with team who has the nearest wind-tunnel to home-base makes me suck my teeth like a mechanic. Did the board think of what would be best for their F1 team after they became World Champions?

[@alias19]

@@MsZeeZed “Audi’s answer of start in-house with team who has the nearest wind-tunnel to home-base” Was there another team that was available to Audi?

[@suvrabhattacharjee9366]

Swiss company works with German craftsmanship 😂

[@steelin666]

Kubica's run in early 2008 was something different. That's a championship-worthy consistency.

[@ArthurZakaryan23]

I was a massive Kubica fan when he came onto the scene and till this day Alonso and Hamilton rate him as one of the best drivers they've ever seen/raced with. That rally accident was really such a shame, he could have really been something special in F1 as he showed when won that Canadian GP.

[@hecksters423]

And then BMW fumbled it by prematurely abandoning the 2008 for 2009's... Only for that TOO to eat shit.

[@dochidesu]

@@ArthurZakaryan23 I heard that Ferrari were looking to replace Massa way earlier with Kubica, but that rally disaster put an end to those plans. A real shame really, Kubica could've been what Alonso was to Spain but for Poland had he not suffered in that accident.

[@patrickr4762]

Me as well, peak Kubica was scary for the other drivers. He was naturally talented, fast, smart and very consistent. The lead drivers rated him highly bec. he rarely made mistakes. And yes he was already on his to Ferrari if the crash didn’t happen.

[@FH4Player6397]

​@@Taylor.B.Martin Did you watch it? I thought so. (You didn't).

[@TheBatmobeale]

That 2008 Beamer was a fantastic looking car

[@clivebrittain4928]

Its funny I was just about to comment how hideous I thought the cars looked in those days, wierd angles and random bits stuck on. Different strokes.

[@hughjass1044]

It really was!

[@Luchingador]

Sauber was the team which Mercedes used to return to F1 in the 90's, was BMW's works team in the 2010, had the BMW and Ferrari together on its name in 2010. Has to be the most colorful team in F1.

[@Jabid21]

Red Bull also had stake in Sauber before it bought Jaguar and Minardi.

[@izzad777]

​@@Jabid21 yep. Kimi Raikkonen debut in Sauber-Petronas, with redbull being a major financier of the team. Sauber is a colourful team.

[@RandomGuy37]

​@@Jabid21While running Ferrari engines badged as Petronas (Which is nowadays the main sponsor of Mercedes). Pretty cured combination by today's standards

[@patrickr4762]

Agree. Without Sauber there won’t be a Kimi Raikkonen, Vettel, Petronas, Red Bull and that iconic C9 Mercedes.

[@espvp]

And don’t forget Alfa Romeo too!

[@Goat4rage]

I would honestly love to see BMW and Audi in this sport at the same time would bring 6 competitors for that podium which would be 🔥

[@spingeon]

We need a lot more than just BMW and Audi, we're gonna need (not limited to): Acura, Lexus, Cadillac, Porsche, Lamborghini and Chevrolet

[@Ariespradana13]

​@@spingeon your expectations are too high 💀

[@RBot21]

​@@spingeon delusional

[@shmazy86]

​​@@spingeon Porsche, Lamborghini and Audi are all the same company. The chances of 2 of them being in f1 is highly unlikely as we saw when Porsche ditched out on F1 before they even got started. Having 3 ain't gunna happen. Also look how much hoopla there is over 1 more slot on the grid where's the room for all those teams?

[@darbstre2900]

⁠@@spingeonAcura is Honda who is in f1. Chevy and Cadillac are the same. Audi Porsche and Lamborghini are the same. You listed the worst possible brands as examples. Lotus, bmw, Toyota, Hyundai, and ford are all brands that make more sense than almost anything you listed

[@GarySlegg]

I will never understand why BMW didn't put more effort into 2008 when they had a very competitive car. I guess it was arrogance that made them assume the other teams would work to their timetable

[@jiboo6850]

economical crisis man! 2008 was a very bad year for banks and money in general. no matter what sport, everybody was impacted.

[@patrickr4762]

Eddie Jordan once said that the most successful F1 teams had either a strong entrepreneur or a strong figurehead behind them, like Ferrari, Ron Dennis or Deitrich of RB. The corporate teams rarely succeed bec. of the no. of people deciding and the corporate culture is not flexible enough to adapt.

[@goqsane]

and Theissen is lying through his teeth saying they were developing more components for 2008 :D

[@teabagtowers3823]

Just look at Renault/Alpine at the moment or Ferrari since the loss of Todt.

[@MercW11]

And Lauda for Mercedes I assume

[@CX0909]

Teams run by a board of directors will forever struggle as CEO's and the like always assume that just because they are good at selling cars they can run an F1 team. F1 to manufacturing and selling road cars is apples to oranges. Another great example now is the execs at Ferrari. Those two monkeys (Elkann and Vigna) cant keep their hands off the team and Ferrari can't stop shooting itself in the foot nearly every race. Corporations need to stick to selling cars, posters and merch. Leave the racing to the big boys.

[@luckie79]

I remember how pissed off Kubica was at bmw for dropping 2008 development. He mentioned at that time it was a huge mistake and he was right.

[@alexpeak16]

He knew what was up, I remember seeing an interview where he said "I never understood BMW, there was a lack of desire to win". Goes to show that just because you have manufacturer money or big-named personnel doesn't guarantee success.

[@Milkydrummer]

Kubica was a great driver. Such a shame his career was cut short.

[@captaintoyota3171]

Well f1 career he arguably is one of few 2 get injured then come back and be a paid successful racing driver

[@unthenner5519]

@@captaintoyota3171 Exactly his career is simply extraordinary and legendary, and successful.

[@unthenner5519]

Skill challenge, physical challenge AND mental challenge all which he has beaten to be where he is.

[@dmign]

@@unthenner5519 alright robert very subtle now back to DTM or whatever it is you do these days

[@clen7206]

Don't forget Alex Zinardi...a truly inspirational human being

[@puretom6104]

The 2008 BMW Sauber story is exactly why i feel that McLaren should've thrown all it's weight behind a Norris championship at the earliest chance it got. Deferring a long-shot at the championship for 'next year' is no guarantee of when you might get a another chance. To paraphrase Senna, "if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver", and I would argue the same applies to teams.

[@1999studios]

Agreed. The weird Lando hate online kinda buries that criticism of the team strategy. Purely ignoring Lando, it still makes little sense

[@arthuralford]

Was wondering when someone would remember what happened last time Sauber was a works team. BMW couldn't be flexible, couldn't see the opportunity in front of it

[@RBot21]

They sacrifice 2008 car to 2009

[@ArthurZakaryan23]

I think this is partly a German company culture thing especially a company with as much history as BMW. A similar thing exists with Japanese companies and short of those spells of success Honda has seen throughout there F1 tenures, the majority of their time in F1 has been lackluster and we all know how much of a waste Toyota's was.

[@Wildcat12]

@@ArthurZakaryan23 Had they stuck around rather than selling back in 2008 Honda would've handedly won the 2009 championship. The BrawnGP car that won that year was completely developed by Honda during the previous season. It was well ahead of the pack for the first half of the year and only fell off when they couldn't afford to continue upgrading it. If Honda stayed in and supported the car they could've been extremely competitive for plenty of seasons.

[@patrickr4762]

The problem with BMW that time was they heavily invested with KERS tech. They strongly believed that the future of motor racing and eventually to motor cars was KERS or similar electronic devices. I know this bec. I was driving a BMW that time and all their in-house magazines were talking about this as the next step in automobile so they believe this F1 project was the perfect showcase for that. Unfortunately Brawn discovered the double diffuser and they underestimated how difficult that tech would be. Having heavily investing to it and losing money and the team losing its competitiveness it was too much for BMW HQ.

[@GPitstra37]

Also the economy crashing big time...

[@kavirajnosib4648]

I was a fond fond supporter of BMW Sauber, Kubica was an amazing driver. He would have challenged Lewis for the title 2008 title without a doubt in my mind had they developed that car, BMWs decision to develop the car in 2009 was absolutely disgraceful and for them to take a stepbackwards in that year was even worse. Not only is he the biggest what if in F1 but so was BMW, I definitely think if BMW stayed in F1 they would of challenged Redbull for the championship around 2010-2013, BMW pulling out of F1 completely is the worst thing they could of done especially with the V6 engine regulations coming only a few years later

[@robertcarr4172]

I loved those bmw Williams and Sauber liveries

[@speed6725]

I’m believing that Audi seriously underestimated this whole thing right from the beginning. Mattia doesn’t have enough time to right the ship before 2026. From what I’ve heard their 2026 engine is performing good, and ahead of schedule. Hopefully for their sake, that’s true. Anything better than what they’re doing this year should be considered a success.

[@hoplit6764]

Sainz telling them no doesnt looks good either

[@nuckynelson]

I wonder what kind of influence the almost bankruptcy of Volkswagen will have on Audi F1.

[@hanshartfiel6394]

Volkswagen may have some problems at the moment but they are nowhere near bankruptcy. Yes, AUDI is part of the Volkswagen Group but so is SEAT, Skoda, Porsche, MAN Trucks and others. The owners of Volkswagen, Porsche SE, nor the German government will let go the company into bankruptcy.

[@WSKRBSCT]

​@@hanshartfiel6394 I agree with much of what you said here. However, I'm not so sure about the part about the German government. A lot of VW and Germany's problems are self-inflicted by the German government. The green-at-any-cost agenda is killing their manufacturing center. Literally, that's why VW is bogged down as it is. By comparison, BMW looks smart in its electrification of ICE vehicles to appease government mandates. Then there's Germany's putting most of its eggs in China's basket. But, that's another story.

[@hanshartfiel6394]

@@WSKRBSCT The way it looks there is a big rethink in Germany regarding carbon neutrality. The Green Party keeps losing one election after another and so do the liberals (FDP). Both parties together with the SPD are forming the Government at the moment and I can not see them winning the elections in September 2025 again.

[@YUDNSAY]

@@hanshartfiel6394 Not Bankruptcy, but leaving Germany, yes.

[@hanshartfiel6394]

@@YUDNSAY dream on

[@MsZeeZed]

As Alpha I thought they were coasting, turns out it was only Kimi that made them look like they weren’t at a complete standstill.

[@xNeo64]

I assume their warning is don't stop developing the car when you are leading the championship

[@RACECAR]

Frankly, it all falls under paying attention and not being caught in whatever corporate nonsense is happening. Almost every time someone comes in with "Plan" or "Target", it goes wrong (Look at Renault's "100 Race plan" and even at Aston's "5 Year Plan"). As far as I can tell, the only "Plan" needed is either committing fully and just doing or don't. Audi's current management doesn't appear to get that, just as BMW didn't.

[@luntbanzi1967]

Audi isn't running the current sauber team. The year is funded by sauber and I highly doubt they hitting the develop cost cap of 150m at all, as they don't have to when theyve been bought out and leaving F1 soon. You'll see audis resources and money in 2026. BMW is nothing compared to sauber, as long as audi is run well, they will compete

[@Lora_Beolab]

this comment makes no sense how is audi not running the sauber facilities when they've bought the whole team and have put their people of choice in charge everywhere? who at Sauber just decided that they don't have to hit the cost cap and for what possible reason could that be?? you talk about Sauber as this group of people when it's just a name in switserland it's people working in a factory for whatever name and Audi is'nt going to fire the one's that they have'nt already in 2026

[@luntbanzi1967]

@@Lora_Beolab they not funding it genius is that difficult to understand? Bottas got upgrades the whole season, Zhou in Singapore for the first time got the same car as bottas. That's a team that isn't anywhere near the cost cap in terms of development, why? They're going out of F1. Why fund a project that's you're leaving. Ofc audi are gonna hire their own people, they're preparing for 2026, how can they not. Audi and BMW are not the same, audi has way more financial resources, even more so than stroll and Aston martin. Don't underestimate them

[@thefluzzer6345]

@@luntbanzi1967 yeah audi, VW group is fucking massive.

[@Daniel-tx2vt]

0:38 is there even a midfield in this sport anymore😂

[@bigprocrastinator]

Aston Martin. That's it

[@1999studios]

Arguably joined by Merc on their bad weeks and Haas/Williams on their better weeks respectively. Honestly a pretty fun midfield, they're all punching above their weight barring Aston which is just looking sloppy

[@crxdelsolsir]

F1 is a sport that tests not only the extremes of Engineering, Team and Driver abilities but what is overlooked is it tests the Financial stamina of the Manufacturer. F1 breaks bank accounts.

[@Ariespradana13]

“I think here as well, it’s a learning process. We are competing with other organisations where manufacturers are settled down,” -Motorsportweek quotes him as saying

[@fam.hunger5244]

It's not just Sauber that is doing badly, Audi is too. Audi belongs to the VW Group and it is in an unprecedented crisis, including financially. Unfortunately, I'm sure that the VW management and their lawyers are already having the contracts checked to see how they can end the F1 involvement as quickly as possible, because ultimately you can't justify to the shareholders that you are spending money in F1 that is no longer there. Nor can you justify redundancies for financial reasons while at the same time investing non-existent money in an F1 team. I see big problems ahead for Sauber and Audi and I think it is questionable whether the team will even be called Audi F1 in 2026, or whether it will have been sold or closed by then. And if it comes to that and VW's situation doesn't improve dramatically, I don't think Audi will be in F1 for long, because they will have to get rid of the team as quickly as possible and end their F1 involvement. Of course, a clever manager can spin the whole thing in such a way that you first have to build up everything and get the team up and running, as this is the only way to get back the hundreds of millions of euros that you have invested in a sale, but a longer commitment from Audi seems very unlikely at the moment.

[@guitarsimon1]

One of my favourite F1 things recently has been watching everyone slowly realise Audi isn't going to magically make Sauber into a front-running team by sprinkling their Audi Motorsport dust over it.

[@luiscarlosvieira3966]

When Audi said that they want to win races in 3yrs... that showed they were "dreaming"... When they hired Binotto... they showed they will get a "nightmare"... Audi will spend a lot of millions and they will leave F1 after some failures....

[@MarcelPolman]

Nice dissertation. Yet it just takes a double-diffuser-type-of wildcard to shake the order up.

[@sleepypixie8828]

Unfortunately i don't think james key is the guy for them. He struggled massively in trying to make McLaren push above a midfield team and this year they've just tried to copy redbull and McLaren to no avail

[@F2002]

The difference in size is vast and that was the last year any Formula One car looked good light and Nimble compared to the tanks we have now

[@carguy7627]

Just seeing the older F1 cars reminds me of the wonderful sound that they made and how much the V6 error robbed us from that. In any event, I figured Audi would have been working on everything in preparation for it's transition. That includes the backend processes, procedures, the infrastructure, tooling, and the race weekend management. They had a good opportunity to iterate rapidly, testing different ideas without the responsibility of immediate results. In any event, I'm glad that Audi will be joining the grid. I'd like to see Andretti/Cadillac join as well.

[@senojelyk]

Very nice retrospective.

[@brendastevens1179]

Robert Kubica was the best talent F1 has seen in a long time. His unfortunate rally crash changed everything in an instant. He is still a great driver not to be dismissed

[@LordBass]

Respectfully, isn't VW in a massive financial hurt? And Audi will find achievement buying a dismal last place team? Would be nice to see, but seems a giant money black hole.

[@Keckegenkai]

they have billions in the bank and even IF, they could sell one or two of their dozens of assets like Lambo or Scania

[@1greenMitsi]

true - lets see how they justify it to the board in the following years, even if they improve and start scoring regular points in the next couple years, its gonna be hard to justify costs to the VW board when they are literally closing factories down - in Germany as we speak

[@themasqueradingcow91]

Because the wisdom of FIA dictates that this is better than a well funded, likely highly competitive Andretti team

[@1greenMitsi]

@@themasqueradingcow91 its not really the FIA - its actually down to the teams. The teams dont want another entrant because it dilutes their stake in F1. VW bought sauber so their prize money dosent change

[@Anonymous_0894]

It's crazy how back in the day, Sauber was sponsored by Red Bull, Petronas and used Ferrari engines. 😂

[@zLusso]

Hot take. If Sauber prioritized 2008., kubica would’ve won it. Also another hot take. Kubica was the best driver clear in 2008.

[@poulwinther]

I agree about the double diffuser. It was 100% clear what the text intended and to claim otherwise was just silly. There's no way they should have allowed it to continue, making the 2009 season an absolute joke, not even worth watching.

[@ichiwo1526]

I'm not reading too much into Sauber's "disappointing" outing this year. For all we know they're just there for test purposes

I have to admit, I love the green / black paintwork.

[@Phantom-mg5cg]

Audi will need a someone like BMW had with Kubica. Hülkenberg/Bottas would be like Heidfeld/Villeneuve. Audi should take Bortoleto or Pourchaire.

[@captainsmoke1612]

Audi is different. Audi is motorsport heritage.

[@stefanhurlimann6983]

Peter Sauber himself said in an Interview during his retirement some years ago: BMW should have given the money and not try to interfere within the Racing Team. Audi makes the same mistakes🙈

[@middleearthtroll6183]

Someone please bring this man back

[@RafeekKaramat]

I predict Audi will eventually dominate F1. They don’t disappoint when it comes to Motorsport. From road tracks to rally they will be the ones to beat.

[@bigprocrastinator]

Would be cool to see if they can stay the course and sustain investment

[@AyoSosanya]

I disagree, F1 is very different from other motorsports. I think they’re heavily overestimated.

[@theyrealltaken3]

Much rather see Audi back in WEC and IMSA, instead of F1

[@agoodmansaid]

The choice for Binoto just baffles me

[@domiiinik4320]

I will never forgive BMW for what they did to Kubica in 2008, he could and should be world champion

[@putusatriavi]

2000s sauber Cosworth (redbull back then) with Raikkonen & Heidfeld is a good combo....... And Williams BMW F1..... with button, ralf and jpm those was the golden ERA of BMW POWER... with sauber ...the BMW more of a lot of hit and miss... Sauber is not a front runner team... Or i might be wrong

[@Darthadios]

I never thought about that, the team was once a BMW is now becoming an Audi.

[@natesmith3717]

Pretty sure the current staff feels like they are all getting let go at the end of the season and really don't see the point in trying.

[@blanckq]

do you think they're doing terrible kind of half intentionally so they can get the maximum wind tunnel time next year?

[@gseric4721]

Everything is strategic in F1.

[@luntbanzi1967]

No, audi don't run sauber at the moment. It's not their money developing the car

[@Draconianoverlord55]

Those bmw f1 cars were so good looking

[@Aiimpactptyltd]

‘This is an automotive giant’…… Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren, Aston Martin.

[@urbanstrencan]

It will be interesting to see how fast Audi can become competitive in F1

[@brianligat9493]

BMW was good with Williams but broke the relationshio by almost admitting that they were going to rip off William's IP. Compare that with Merc and McLaren who for years were successfull at their distinct part in the relationship.

[@Angry_Squirrel555]

To be fair, the PU in the car now is not the same as will be in the 2026 car so current pace can't really factor in. There's also the question about Bottas and Zhou and if they're getting the most out of the car, not saying that they'd be winning races but at least getting a point or two.

[@blairhammond5456]

Thumbs down for the click bait title. No where does BMW actually give Audi a warning.

[@glennbranton623]

History doesn’t send you a letter or give interviews but it warns us all nonetheless.

[@blairhammond5456]

@@glennbranton623 Pardon? Then the Title should be "Historys warning to Audi"

[@captainsmoke1612]

Giving the team to this Kaltenborn gal was the biggest mistake Mr Sauber ever made.

[@MDE_never_dies]

“Winning The Championship isn’t on our two year plan”

[@thomaswiker3471]

Sort of like Stewart F1 got bought by Ford to become Jaguar F1 but was sold to become Red Bull F1

[@philipcupid6660]

As a follower of F1 for a few decades if you're chasing fans, and you sell road cars; if they don't exactly set the road on fire, and the F1 engines don't have the excellence of good engineering talent and pit lane teamwork from the pit box to the garage, your name is not going on the historical ledger of winners, even if Binoto, Hulkenberg, Bottas etc, are at the head of the drivers/publicity team and engineering all over the place; everyone will have to be singing from the same hymn sheets.

[@nehtals]

VAG is in trouble, VW closing factories, EVs not like they hoped. My guess if Audi will pull out before 2026

[@hishamhilal8332]

BMW came into F1 with the best engines at the time, Sauber absolutely drove them into the ground

[@suvrabhattacharjee9366]

That blue white color scheme and that car and drivers so great yet unable to win the DC or constructor 😢😢 I've always loved Sauber even as Alfa Romeo ,until they become Kick. Hopefully Sauber comes back again with audi . But I've not really confident about binnotto 😅

[@vendalix]

If Sauber was in the middle of the pack when Audi takes over and they start dropping, it will look really bad on Audi. There's actually less pressure for Audi to perform if they start at the bottom. It gives them more time to gradually improve on performance.

[@andrewsycamore3661]

Robert Kubica would have won a world championship or maybe more had it not been for that horror rally accident. Glad to see he is still racing and finding success in other categories

[@JoeDaeHimself]

The same problem was with Toyota. Corporations don't really understand the pace of F1

[@hikedeco9749]

Kubica , amazing driver man

[@jaytee8188]

So… re your video’s headline, in any way, how has BMW F1 warned Audi? I did not see or hear anything about BMW issuing any warning to Audi! Click bait.

[@ToNiiC]

The way I see it is that BMW was in a very solid climb to the top and only made one major mistake: giving up

[@paulsterling2610]

In terms of warnings while bmw being a german auto giant that failed in f1 makes them qualified to warn audi the true comparison and warning should be and come from toyota

[@vicfg8052]

Targets and timetables are the bread and butter of the corporate world. In F1 you have to go for it. Mansell won his 1992 championship with a broken toe, he knew he had a choice to make.

[@Massimo_U]

Ed will you be in Austin or Mex? Would love to have a chat with you.

[@jz5980]

Has anyone entertained the idea of intentional tanking to maximize wind tunnel time for the new regulations?

[@ATEC101]

That only applies if you are already in F1, remember the Merc engines?

[@feynthefallen]

The root cause of the problem is that in big concerns, the show is always run by managers, who are interested in their bean counting spreadsheets and adherence to plans, not engineers who are interested in engineering challenges and their solutions. Any time this has happenened in the past, it went badly. The latest and probably so far biggest disaster of this kind is Boeing, a company that went to the top of the world when it was run by engineers, but crashed and burned when the bean counters took over. The best advice I can give to any manager is, be a servant leader, listen to your experts and do what they tell you.

[@CalixtoErico]

This has FIASCO written all over it.😊

[@MuhammadNiz007]

Bmw strategy was the correct one, it's just a shame that 2009 was not that good thanks to financial disaster

[@JoshuaGeake]

It's quite funny that if you go to the BMW museum in Munich, there's absolutely zero mention of their participation in F1 😂

[@answeris4217]

It's like any other sports... Some teams never win anything because the owners don't have the focus to win anything. It's about making money not winning championships. BMW in this example wanted to advertise their cars. They could care less about winning championships they wanted their driver on the podium for a picture and once that picture came in then they probably cut funding. Because it's about making money.

[@The_ZeroLine]

I expect Audi to ditch this project by 2030 at latest. And it’s all due to their own lack of initiative and seeming confusion over whether it even wanted to be there.

[@classicsportclassictiyl8547]

I'm not sure about Audi tbh on a sidenote 2006 performance averages Ferrari had the fastest car never knew that

[@mrrolandlawrence]

just move sauber to oxford somewhere. switzerland not known for racing post 1955.

[@damianclark2080]

The older cars are 10x better than the oversized ones of today

[@robertlichon8861]

Still can't get over that missed championship chance and Robert's rally crash

[@dumibirdf6437]

at least BMW didn't dump everything and play all-in gamble in F1. Audi however has no way back, it's all or nothing. Audi had under-estimated the risk and difficulty they will be facing. Even Mercedes didn't have smooth first years.

[@turbo_brian]

Omg air cooled batteries is such a terrible idea lol

[@pikestance4219]

BMWs mistake was miscalculating implementation of the correct "formula." There isn't a real timeline in F1, especially when the formula is changed, especially whenthere are radical changes like what BMW experience. BMW lost their nerve. One set back and they went packing.

[@htmIdag]

the first mistake was grabbing Mattia

[@The_ZeroLine]

Not only did BMW stop developing the car, but what changes they did make were solely focused on making the car easier for Heidfeld to drive rather than you know focusing on their best driver.

[@jacquesparpaing3217]

Sauber’s situation in 2024-2025 has nothing to do with 2005. BMW was basically pissed off by Williams and Mario Thiessen regularly went on to question publicly about Williams’ chassis quality. Their 2006 shift to Sauber has nothing to do with the first ever entry of Audi in formula one. (Before Williams BMW supplied engines to Branham in the 80s). It is so tedious and journalistic to hardly look for similarities in any matter. History never repeats itself, it’s just a line with a beginning, ups and downs, and an end. So, when a German car brand starts a partnership with Sauber, stop rushing to Wikipedia to exaggerate any vague similarities to try to make us believe you know something about it.

[@JamesFlemingIreland]

"F1 is no respecter of objectives timetables". And who do Audi employ as the team boss? Binotto, who justified the undermining of LeClerc's championship at Ferrari in 22 as "Ferrari being on track for their 22 goals".

[@f1pro910]

First they need an engine similar to BMW which was a rocket. They then can think about performance improvements.

[@MichaelVemuri]

Am more curious about the colours what audi will have

[@itmkoeln]

I love how VW as a company is trying to fit themselves in astricter coorporate budgetary regime while in the same way buying a formula one team and setting up a works team... Yeah... that is not what I understand by saving money...

[@SuperGogetaBlue3]

Every time I see something about the GOAT Kubica I wonder how many world championships could he have won?

[@zeberto1986]

Letting Sauber get so bad is either a genius move by getting the max time under ATR for 2026 or its a sign that something is seriously wrong.

[@timonsolus]

BMW, Honda and Toyota all withdrew from F1 because of the 2008/09 global financial depression. Road car sales plummeted, new car production was cut back massively, and factory workers with no work to do were laid off in huge numbers. These 3 big manufacturers had to quit F1 because local media in Germany and Japan attacked them for “wasting” millions on F1 while at the same time, making thousands of workers redundant.

[@Strange_Brew]

Ah, we’re in 2024, not 2008.....

[@richardmortimer8147]

BMW should have stuck with Williams. However, maybe Frank and Patrick were not the best at dealing with engine suppliers? They lost Honda when they won! Honda stuck with Lotus... = weird. It really worked out with Renault, until they pulled the plug at the end of 1997. Again, just after they'd won again...! 2003 looked promising, but it all went wrong. I think Williams were already suffering the 'McLaren' problem. In decline but not realising / admitting it.

[@Skreezilla]

Sauber just needs a Porsche and VW engine and it has been a "works team" for all the major german teams :p

[@ajitgopalakrishnan8051]

By using Audi, they are "technically' VW.

[@loganokle99]

Its gonna be the same now audi will think they can take over the team and basically win the championship instantly and when they realise they wont after 4-5 years they leave just like bmw

[@starby1243]

BMW left because F1 decided to go backwards and 2009 rules gave us the UGLIEST looking F1 cars.