According to reports from German media, the Qatari fund is ready to acquire a stake in Audi.
Formula 1 may be on a break, but off the track, there’s always plenty of activity. According to several German media outlets, Qatar is reportedly ready to invest in the top tier of motorsport by acquiring shares in Audi.
The investment, which has been repeatedly denied by the parties involved, could be broader than expected. In March, when Audi announced the acquisition of 100% of the Sauber Team, the purchase price was estimated at around 650 million euros. An obviously inflated figure, but the situation has changed significantly in just a few months. Volkswagen AG, which also includes Audi, is currently experiencing an unprecedented economic crisis, as confirmed by the closure of several factories in Europe, with an estimated loss of around 30,000 jobs.
This is a concerning and significant figure, especially considering that the company is one of the global leaders in the automotive sector, and the crisis could also affect Audi itself. The German brand, through CEO Gernot Dollner, preferred to avoid commenting on a potential investment from the Qatari fund: “The decision was well-prepared two and a half years ago and reassessed last year. We firmly believe that F1 and Audi are a perfect combination. It is in line with our strategy, and although it is ambitious and will take time, it perfectly aligns with the way we are reinventing ourselves as a company,” said Dollner.
As mentioned earlier, the situation has changed rather sharply in recent months, and a potential entry by a major fund could provide a significant boost to the brand, which will replace Sauber starting from the 2026 Formula 1 season. Qatar, for its part, is already invested in Volkswagen AG with a 17% stake in the German group. The Qatari fund is also the third-largest shareholder in the Volkswagen Group, after Porsche (53.3%) and the State of Lower Saxony (20%), through Qatar Holding LLC.
But that’s not all. According to Motorsport, Qatar also holds 2 of the 20 seats on the supervisory board of Volkswagen AG, occupied by Hessa Sultan Al Jaber, former Minister of Information and Communication Technology, and Mansoor Bin Ebrahim Al-Mahmoud, CEO of the Qatar Investment Authority. Significant developments, therefore, could be expected in the coming weeks, with Qatar poised to acquire shares in Audi.
