Alfa Romeo and Sauber are set to end their relationship at the end of 2023 ahead of the new technical regulations.
The Italian car manufacturer started their relationship with Sauber in 2018 when they came on board as a name partner, and they helped oversee a successful debut season for Charles Leclerc.
The Monegasque moved up to Ferrari in 2019 as Marcus Ericsson departed Formula 1, and they were replaced by Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi, who had raced with the Sauber team twice in 2017.
Alfa Romeo also strengthened their relationship with the Sauber Group three years ago, purchasing the naming rights to the side.
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The operation still runs in Switzerland, and it is still run by Sauber; it simply operates under the Alfa Romeo name, which has improved the team’s cash flow.
Valtteri Bottas and Zhou replaced Raikkonen and Giovinazzi at the end of last year after both drivers left the sport.
Recently, Audi and Porsche, subsidiaries of Volkswagen, have expressed their intention to enter the pinnacle of motorsport in 2026, with the latter set to provide power units for Red Bull and their junior team, AlphaTauri.
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Audi, meanwhile, have been looking for a team to buy, and they have been linked with McLaren, Aston Martin and Williams in recent months.
Those three teams are relatively settled financially though, whereas Sauber are slightly more susceptible to a takeover bid.
On Friday morning, Audi confirmed that they will be entering Formula 1 in 2026, and the latest news all but confirms that Sauber will be bought out by the German car maker.
It has become one of the worst kept secrets in F1 that this deal will take place, along with Porsche’s deal with Red Bull after they filed paperwork to purchase shares in Red Bull Technology.
They have also trademarked “F1nally,” while Audi are now poised to announce that they will be buying Sauber in four years’ time.
The only other question to be answered is whether Audi’s operation will run out of Germany, or whether they will continue to use Sauber’s facilities in the outskirts of Zurich.