F1 News
Berger refers Audi to Red Bull: 'They even had Adrian Newey there'
- Ludo van Denderen
For Audi, the moment of its entry into Formula 1 is getting closer and closer. Probably still this year, the manufacturer will complete the full share takeover of Sauber, but only from '26 the then German team will be at the start of Grands Prix with a self-designed and built power unit. One driver is already committed, the other is to be Carlos Sainz. However, the latter is hesitant about switching to Audi, something Gerhard Berger seems to understand. A successful time at Audi namely not a foregone conclusion, he believes.
The Austrian calls Audi's arrival in Formula 1 "an enrichment", but also warns: As a manufacturer, do not underestimate how difficult it is to succeed in the most important class in motorsport. "You need patience and you can't make many mistakes," the former F1 driver states in conversation with German Bild.
Berger is referring to Red Bull Racing; the Austrian team that took a while to be successful in Formula 1 after his entry. " I was closely involved at the time" says Berger, who at the time was siding with sister team Toro Rosso. "They took six years to become a success team despite someone like Adrian Newey and hardly any mistakes."
'Audi should count on five years'
Audi previously said it hoped to compete at the top within three years. Following Berger, that is "very optimistic". He acknowledges that the manufacturer has the resources to get to the top and that with Sauber, there is already a kind of testing ground at the moment. "But my estimation is that it will take at least five years to compete. Think back to Ferrari: they needed five years for a World Championship title despite Michael Schumacher and the perfect line-up Jean Todt, Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne."