Audi have sold a minority stake in their Formula 1 team, it has been announced at the Qatar Grand Prix. The German car manufacturer are set to enter F1 in 2026, taking over the current Sauber-owned team who scored their first points of the season with an eighth placed Zhou Guanyu finish at the Qatar Grand Prix.

The Qatar Investment Authority, the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar, will buy a “substantial minority” stake in Sauber, the Formula 1 team owned by Audi.

Audi has sold a stake in its Formula One team to Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund ahead of the German manufacturer’s entry to the sport in 2026. Audi announced on Friday ahead of this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix that the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) had acquired a “significant minority stake” in the team,

With Audi set to enter Formula 1 as a works outfit after the takeover of the Sauber F1 team by 2026, the German automaker has announced the sale of the new team

A statement from the German car company said the Gulf state would buy a “significant minority” in the team, which is entering F1 in 2026. The deal will be completed next year, after Audi has taken full ownership of the Sauber team that is the basis for its entry.

The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the Gulf country's estimated $510 billion sovereign wealth fund, has signed binding agreements to buy a significant minority stake in Audi's Formula 1 team, the fund and carmaker said on Friday.

The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) announced that it had acquired a significant minority stake in Sauber Holding AG, which will become Audi’s F1 factory team in 2026.