The German manufacturer will arrive on the grid in 2026 with a works engine and chassis programme after initially buying a 25% stake in Sauber Motorsport early last year.
There was speculation that Audi would stop at a 75% investment, which would be signed off much closer to 2026, but it has instead accelerated plans and voted for a full takeover.
While this shores up the Swiss squad’s long-term future, it will still provide a short-term boost, according to Sauber’s F1 head of trackside engineering Xevi Pujolar.
“For sure, it is encouraging for the future,” he said. “But also, we need to think about today, no?”
The Spanish former Jaguar, Williams and Toro Rosso staffer reckons Audi’s financial injection will help the chassis operation build up over the next two seasons.
He continued: “I would say it is important in terms of budget possibilities, and what we can build in the next year and a half or two years before Audi [arrives] fully and we are Audi.
“So, just to have the team ready, and we just need to do as much as we can now to build that team to be ready when it matters.
“But in that time, we want to still be competitive, and we want to fight for the points every single race.
Source: Autosport