Audi wants to contract development driver for F1 project by end of 2023

Audi wants to contract a development driver for its Formula 1 project before the end of this year. The aim is to bring in an experienced driver to help the brand develop the car for 2026, when Audi will enter the motorsport's premier class in partnership with Sauber.

Work on the car is due to start in 2024, almost two years ahead of schedule. "Our debut may seem a long way off, but we want to have a development driver by the end of 2023," Adam Baker, head of Audi's F1 project, told Soymotor.com. The preference is for an experienced driver, although speed is also a priority.

"It is very important to have someone with experience to develop our new powertrain," he adds. The driver in question will spend a lot of time in the simulator in Neuburg, which Baker seems to indicate that the driver will not yet be working intensively with Sauber at that stage.

Mick Schumacher is ruled out by Audi for the time being. "Although everyone associates him with us, he has chosen to go to Mercedes. We understand that, as his goal is to return to the Formula 1 grid as soon as possible," Baker said.