Audi makes a fundamental mistake, claims Eddie Jordan
Former team owner Eddie Jordan believes German car manufacturer, Audi is making "fundamental mistakes" in their approach to entering Formula 1 in 2026.
Audi will enter Formula One in 2026 when an all-new technical regulation comes into effect. The German manufacturer has already taken over the Hinwil-based Sauber outfit which will be Audi's works outfit.
While the chassis is set to be built at the Swiss Hinwil headquarters, the power unit will be manufactured at Audi's Neuburg facilty. This was opened in the summer of 2014, and all of Audi's factory racing operations, as well as customer racing, are coordinated from there.
The Audi RS Q e-tron, with its innovative drivetrain for the Dakar Rally, was built in Neuburg an der Donau, as was also the case for versions of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro hybrid racing car, the Audi RS 5 DTM and the all-electric Formula E racing car.
The last two years saw saw Audi expand its Competence Center Motorsport for its Formula 1 project. In a new building measuring around 3,000 square meters, new test benches for the development of the power unit have been installed.
The entire power unit for the new Formula 1 project, which consists of an energy recovery system, electric motor, battery, highly efficient combustion engine and transmission, is being developed and built in Neuburg.
Despite the high-tech facility, former team owner Eddie Jordan questions why the German manufacturer is not running the team from England, noting that British teams have a proven track record in racing.
“I have a question mark over Audi in the full stop. When did you last see a Swiss or a German team win a world title? We saw what Toyota did. They came and they tried to do it that way and it didn't work.”
“There is no better way to run a race car than through Britain and particularly in that area of Northampton, Oxfordshire and various other places. They just got such a wealth of knowledge. They’ve just got such a mindset of being able to win or to achieving or to getting the best.”
Jordan blamed Audi's decision to operate from Hinwil, indicating that the Swiss mentality to manufacturing and supplier management lacks the racing mindset and urgency of British outfits.
“Whereas, you go out and you order a piece of machinery to be done in Switzerland. They’ll give you a timeline of maybe lead in maybe four days, four weeks, four months.
"And there’s nothing you can do. Whereas if you’re in the UK, you will just sit on top of that supplier and say, if you don’t do this, you just don’t get any more work.”
Sauber is the only team yet to score a championship point in 2024 with its drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu sitting at the bottom of the standings.
Speaking of Sauber's current poor performance, Jordan noted: “I adore Peter Sauber as a person, but nice people don’t win anything. It must be a big embarrassment for him to be the only team without a point.”
