Photo: Audi
Sauber’s 2026 rebrand to Audi, which owns the Switzerland-based Formula 1 team, has led to it having a new driver development programme.
From 1993 to 2005 the team ran under the name of its founder Peter Sauber, then competed as BMW Sauber from 2006 to 2010 due to a technical alliance. It later competed as Alfao Romeo, the Italian automobile manufacturer, from 2019 to 2023.
Sauber launched its own junior team in 2019, initially in partnership with Formula 2 team Charouz Racing System, and a karting squad was formed. Both were inactive when 2025 began, but Sauber was still obliged to brand a car in the all-female Formula 4 championship F1 Academy, so supported Rodin Motorsport driver Emma Felbermayr’s entry.
Audi first competed in single-seaters’ top tier F1 existed, then raced in Formula E with the German automobile manufacturer’s factory team Abt Sportsline from 2014 to 2021.
A driver development programme was launched in 2016, with the end goal for its proteges to become Audi factory drivers and to race its touring cars in the DTM, GT cars in international sportscar racing and LMP1 prototypes in the World Endurance Championship. It had already been backing young drivers and bringing them into the DTM for many years.
For its single-seater return, the Audi Driver Development Programme has been created and Allan McNishwill be director. He raced in F1 for Toyota, but is best known for winning the Le Mans 24 Hours twice, taking three American Le Mans Series titles and being crowned 2013 World Endurance champion with Audi.
The ADDP was publicly launched last week, but McNish’s work on it began before that as Audi scaled up its preparations for 2026. He was already consulting Audi on its entry into F1.
“To be entrusted with finding the cornerstones of the future Audi F1 Team is a great honour and a responsibility I am very passionate about,” said McNish.
“We are not just looking for raw speed; we are looking for the resilience, intelligence, and team-driven mindset that defines a future Audi champion. Our goal is to build a pathway that turns potential into precision and performance on the world stage.”
Audi’s F1 team principal Jonathan Wheatley noted that “the ADDP is a clear statement of our long-term commitment to youth and our ambition to be competitive” through to 2030 when it aims to win the F1 world championship.
The ADDP’s first member is Freddie Slater, who currently sits second in Formula Regional Oceania.
He was 2024 Italian F4 and UAE4 champion, and in 2025 made the podium on his FIA Formula 3 Championship debut, was FRegional Europe champion and FRegional Middle East runner-up. His primary programme for 2026 is FIA F3 with Trident.
“It’s an incredible honour to be the first driver selected for the ADDP. Audi is a brand with a legendary motorsport history, and to have their trust and support at this crucial stage of my career is a dream come true,” said the 17-year-old Englishman.