Audi is set to enter the F1 bandwagon starting 2026, but their preparations have been hit with an early setback as Sauber F1 technical director James Key has claimed the team will need to wait till the following year to get the ‘final product’.
Alfa Romeo has left the scene and Sauber will race under a new name for the next two seasons before Audi’s official entry.
While Audi is reportedly interested in changing its driver line-up even before formally entering the fray, Key believes that the team should not expect instant results.
Last year, Alfa Romeo finished the season in ninth position, just four points clear of Haas in last place, so their work is cut out as they look to build a formidable challenger before the 2024 campaign.
Key, who was formerly at McLaren, has suggested that the team has plenty of things to get sorted before it can ascend the points table.
“There is a lead time to people of course, with garden periods. So we’re aware of that,” Key told Motorsport.com.
“We’re certainly not waiting for that, there’s a lot of stuff we can do now without any extra people and so on.
“But ultimately, to achieve our goals, we have to expand in all the key areas, and in fact in all areas. Everywhere has got to take a step up regardless of where we are in that process.
“So that’s the short-term ambition, exactly what we’re doing now, working closely with Andreas [Seidl] on that for ’24, as well as the future. And then we’ll see how we go.
“I think ultimately, we’re probably not going to be the final product that we’re aiming for until about ’27 time really, because there is a lot to do.
“But we’ll be in far better shape as we approach ’26. And that will give us the opportunity to take the step forward we need to.”
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