Sauber to establish new technical center in the UK

Sauber has announced it is going to establish a new technical center for its Formula 1 team in the United Kingdom, in addition to its headquarters in Switzerland. The Sauber Motorsport Technology Center UK will “extend the team’s presence and influence within the global Formula 1 landscape” ahead of its transition to become the Audi works team in 2026. Sauber is currently one of only three teams – including Ferrari and RB – that does not have its headquarters in the UK, although RB does have a footprint though its Red Bull ownership and a Bicester-based aerodynamics department. The decision to create a hub in England is designed to give Sauber access to what it describes as motorsport’s largest expertise and talent pool, with some 25,000 industry professionals in the region near Silverstone. Known as “Motorsport Valley”, the area within 90-minutes drive of Silverstone is home to many suppliers as well as factories for McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Alpine, Haas and Williams. Sauber says it it is looking at potential locations within the region – including in Bicester, Milton Keynes and Silverstone itself – and intends to have the technical center operational by the summer of this year. “We are excited to establish our technical centre in the UK to complement our key site in Hinwil, which will continue to lead our main engineering operations and experience the largest team growth,” Sauber Motorsport COO and CTO Mattia Binotto said. “Expanding into the UK allows us to remain close to one of the world’s most dynamic motorsport ecosystems. Our vision is to create a strong, collaborative network across Hinwil and the UK, driving innovation and performance.” Sauber’s move would help it compete for personnel alongside the majority of existing teams, while the future Cadillac F1 Team also has a facility already up and running at Silverstone. On top of the Sauber project, Haas is working on identifying a site for a new factory in the region, believing it needs to expand setup the current building it operates out of in Banbury.