The Formula 1 winter break is essential for making the final tweaks to a team’s new car and at this point in a regulation cycle, developing an upgrade that delivers even the smallest time save could prove to be pivotal.
All 20 drivers on the 2025 F1 grid took to the track on Wednesday in Bahrain as they got their first proper taste of the new cars that have been developed over the past 12 months.
Pre-season testing is all about covering as much distance as possible and exploring exactly what the car can do in different scenarios, rather than setting the fastest lap time.
That’s not what Andrea Kimi Antonelli will want to hear after setting the fastest time in the first session and Alex Brundle shared his thoughts on Antonelli’s first Mercedes outing.
Ultimately, every team will know that the gaps are going to close the longer 2025 goes on and therefore the work being done in each factory is crucial to both this season and next year when the regulations change.
The 2026 F1 ruleset will be very different and that means teams are increasingly shifting their resources towards their new car already.
For this reason, the joined-up thinking within every department in the factory is crucial but David Croft, speaking on the Sky Sports F1 stream of Wednesday’s pre-season testing session, shared what he’d heard from one manufacturer who are having a tough time.
David Croft worried about what he’s heard from Sauber behind the scenes ahead of Audi takeover
Sauber finished bottom of the constructors’ championship last year, but next year they’ll become the Audi works team on the grid.
They signed Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto over the winter but when Croft was asked if Hulkenberg had made a ‘smart’ strategic move to join Sauber this year he said: “Of course, since he signed for them, the CEO has changed.
“Andreas Seidl was the man that brought it to Hinwil and he’s departed, and now Mattia Binotto is in charge.
READ MORE: Who is Sauber and Audi F1 chief Mattia Binotto? Everything to know
“From everything you hear, it’s not going particularly smoothly in terms of the Audi transition.
“I hope this is a year where Sauber is their last year in Formula 1, actually, you know, have a better year.”
It’s worrying that Croft is already hearing that things might not be going completely to plan at Audi ahead of their Formula 1 debut.
They’ll want to be a long way ahead of Cadillac – the other likely new team on the grid in 2026 – but Sauber’s struggles alongside their slow start means it could be a much closer battle than expected.
David Croft expands on Audi’s struggles with hiring key staff as Sauber plan UK F1 base
Croft spoke later in the session further about the issues Audi face and continued: “One of the problems that the Audi project has is the location.
“Hinwil, as spectacular and beautiful as Sauber is, is not a great place to attract staff too.
“So much so, of course, that they’re now announcing that they might need a base in the UK to make better use of the talent. I’m surprised that didn’t happen two years ago.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Sauber from team principal to 2026 Audi future
“Audi have made some brilliant engines for the World Endurance Championship, but they’re now having to make an F1 engine, it’s a different beast altogether.
“We don’t know how good or not the engine’s going to be for 2026, but, there is pressure on Audi to come in and not be a back of the grid team because that’s not where Audi have been in their motorsport years.”
Audi will back themselves to succeed in Formula 1 but will have to heed the experience other major manufacturers can offer them in their attempts to dominate the sport.
Toyota spent huge amounts of money to never win a race and Audi will be desperate not to follow in their footsteps next year.
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