Beat Zehnder to leave Audi after nearly four decades with Sauber team
Beat Zehnder will leave Audi at the end of 2026 as the team reorganises for the following season. The longtime Sauber team manager joined the operation before its Formula 1 debut and later moved into a factory role. Audi thanked him for 39 years of service, including work at 601 consecutive Grands Prix.
Sports··Evening
Audi confirms a departure at year’s end
Beat Zehnder will leave Audi’s Formula 1 team at the end of 2026, closing a career with the organisation that began in its Sauber years. Audi announced the departure on 30 October, ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix weekend, linking it to a restructuring of operations for the 2027 season. The 60-year-old Swiss engineer had most recently worked from the factory as Director of Signature Programs and Operations. In that role, he led activities connected with the team’s heritage. He moved into the factory position after Audi made Sauber its works team, following decades in which he had been closely involved with its racing operation.[1], [2]
His Sauber career began before Formula 1
Zehnder joined Sauber Motorsport in 1988, five years before the operation entered Formula 1. He first worked as a mechanic in its factory-backed Mercedes sportscar programme, winning the Le Mans 24 Hours and the World Sportscar Championship with that operation. He was present when the Formula 1 team opened in 1993, became Team Manager in 1994 and joined the management committee in 2018. His senior role survived earlier ownership changes. Team founder Peter Sauber stepped away from daily management in 2012 and retired completely in 2016, when Finn Rausing’s Longbow Finance took ownership. Zehnder remained with the Hinwil-based team in Switzerland through that transition and the later Audi takeover.[1], [2]
Audi thanks him for 39 years of service
Audi thanked Zehnder for 39 years of service and credited him with working at 601 consecutive Grands Prix. The team described him as a mentor to hundreds of employees and drivers who had passed through Hinwil. Its farewell praised his professionalism, competitive spirit and desire to win through both successful and difficult periods. Among the drivers who worked with him were world champions Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel. Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez, Robert Kubica, Felipe Massa and Heinz-Harald Frentzen also worked with him during his long tenure. His departure follows nearly four decades with the operation, from its sportscar programme through its successive Formula 1 identities.[1], [2]
