For participation in Formula 1 in 2026: Audi brings in Swiss drivers for the Sauber project

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Future Sauber partner Audi signed the first driver for its Formula 1 project – it’s Swiss. Neel Jani (39) from Biel becomes a simulator pilot at Audi. Jani is going virtually full throttle to advance engine development that has begun long ago for entry into F1 in 2026.

“It’s extremely exciting to be involved in this project practically from the start,” Jani tells Blick, “but it’s also a big responsibility.” Because whether Audi is already competitive with Sauber 2026 from the debut year depends very specifically on the work of the Swiss.

20 years after his assignments as a test driver for Sauber-Petronas, Jani resurfaces in the Hinwil atmosphere, even though he says: “My new job has nothing to do with Sauber. Now it’s all about the engine.”

Jani brings a large knowledge backpack

Because test drives are practically no longer allowed in Formula 1, a lot of development work is now being done in the simulator. How’s the reaction? How should the software work? How does the battery in the hybrid engine react to different charge levels, how is energy recovery optimized?

These are all questions that the experienced Jani knows well from his assignments as a third F1 driver at Red Bull, as a Le Mans winner at Porsche and from Formula E. Since he was a Sauber test driver as a teenager and did not succeed in entering F1, the man from Biel has acquired a backpack of knowledge outside of the Grands Prix, which predestined him for Audi in an almost uncanny way.

Two more jobs in addition to the new job at Audi

As a Red Bull junior, he witnessed the creation of an F1 team when the Bulls bought the Jaguar team. As a factory driver at Porsche, Jani is in the middle of developing the hybrid car for Le Mans. Then there is the Formula E experience and the German language. “Sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time,” says Jani. Probably true. He was only eligible for the job at Audi because he has not been a Porsche driver for six months.

In the virtual cosmos at AFR (Audi Formula Racing) in Neuburg an der Donau (D), Jani has to drive the future Sauber fast. But Jani continues to race on the tarmac. For Proton he will soon accelerate for the first time in the long distance world championships, for the privateer Duqueine team he will drive the ELMS series and lead his class.

Source : Blick