Sauber Motorsport AG was a Swiss motorsport engineering company and race team. Founded by Peter Sauber as PP Sauber AG in 1970, the team produced sports cars and later Formula One race cars as an independent constructor.

In endurance racing, the team achieved two world championships and overall victory at the 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans with Mercedes-Benz. After entering Formula One in 1993, the team transformed multiple times but exited the sport in 2025 as the fourth-oldest constructor in history by races started. The team and its assets were acquired by Audi AG in 2024 to form the chassis construction and sporting basis of the Audi F1 Team.

Each of the team's cars, with the exception of cars built by BMW Sauber, were designated a number proceeded by the letter C to honor Peter Sauber's wife, Christiane. Starting with the C1, which was built in his parents' garage, Sauber's early cars competed in local Swiss championships. The team debuted in FIA competition with the Sauber C5, which competed in the 1977 24 Hour of Le Mans.

c1  1970

After Group C endurance regulations ended, the team entered Formula One independently despite a failed attempt to build a joint project with Mercedes. From 1993 to 2005 the team operated as a private constructor, becoming well known for introducing young talent including Heinz Harald-Frentzen, Kimi Räikkönen, and Felipe Massa. Sauber also pioneered many technological innovations which later became standards, such as high cockpit side walls, longitudinally-mounted gearboxes, and the twin keel front suspension.

beginning and partnership with mercedes-benz (1993–1994)

Sauber intended to pivot to Formula One in direct collaboration with Mercedes, but this joint project was shelved and Mercedes funded Sauber's first engine contract instead. The team re-branded Ilmor V10 engines as Sauber power units, and the new Sauber C12 spent most of 1992 testing across Europe at Lurcy-Levis, Barcelona-Catalunya, and even an airfield in Zweisimmen. The team signed experienced Formula One driver JJ Lehto to partner former Sauber endurance driver Karl Wendlinger for the 1993 season.

c12

1993

The Sauber C12 was the car with which the Sauber Formula One team made its FIA Formula One World Championship debut in 1993. Its design was led by Leo Ress.

Power was provided by a Sauber-branded 3.5-litre V10 built by Ilmor in partnership with Mercedes. The C12 was given the prominence of "Concept by Mercedes-Benz" stickers on the engine cowling due to the two parties' close relationship from their World Sportscar Championship program. The engines were re-branded in 1994 to reflect the partnership.

The C12 had a somewhat mixed record with a total of 12 DNFs due to mechanical failure, including seven engine failures (not including Imola, where Lehto was classified as a finisher). Driver-related incidents accounted for six more DNFs.

The C12 achieved six points finishes and eight non-scoring finishes from 32 starts. It achieved a points total of 12 and 7th place in the Constructors' World Championship standings.

c13

1994

The Sauber C13 was a Formula One car designed by André de Cortanze and Leo Ress for use by the Sauber team in the 1994 Formula One World Championship.

The car was powered by an Ilmor 3.5L V10 engine badged as a Mercedes-Benz. The development of this car signalled Mercedes-Benz's return to Formula One, providing their first engine for an F1 car since 1955.

From the Spanish Grand Prix, the car ran with higher cockpit sides after Wendlinger suffered severe injuries in a side-on accident during qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix which left him in a coma. Higher cockpit sides were later made mandatory for all cars in the 1996 season, and were still in use up to 2017, when they were integrated with the "halo" system.

red bull and ford engines (1995–1996)

In conjunction with the Ford deal, Sauber signed a ten-year sponsorship deal with energy drink company Red Bull. Entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz purchased a majority share in the team and Fritz Kaiser joined as Sauber's new commercial director.

Frentzen led the team to its largest F1 tally with eighteen points and scored the team's first podium at the 1995 Italian Grand Prix with a third place finish. 1995 also marked the start of the team's long association with Petronas, who joined mid-season and later became a presenting sponsor until 2009.

c14

1995

The Sauber C14 was the Formula One car with which the Sauber team competed in the 1995 Formula One World Championship. The number 29 seat was initially taken by Austrian driver Karl Wendlinger, while the number 30 seat was taken by Germany's Heinz-Harald Frentzen. However, Wendlinger underperformed and was replaced by Frenchman Jean-Christophe Boullion for most of the remainder of the year. The team's test driver was Argentine Norberto Fontana.

The C14 was the only V8 powered Sauber F1 car until the BMW Sauber F1.06 in 2006 and also the last Hinwil-based car to utilize Castrol-branded lubricant products until the Audi R26 in the 2026 season.

The car was launched and raced in the season's early races with a distinctive narrow and drooping nose. At the San Marino GP, this was replaced by a more conventional raised nose carrying the front wing underneath on twin supports. Thus the car became a largely unremarkable mid-1990s F1 midfielder, although it was notable for being the only 1995 F1 car to feature the raised cockpit sides which would be mandated from 1996, and for achieving Sauber's first F1 podium finish with Frentzen 3rd in Italy.

sauber-petronas engineering (1997–2005)

From 1997 until 2005 Sauber used Ferrari designed customer engines and gearboxes built by Sauber Petronas Engineering, a company founded for the sole purpose of building these engines. Sauber licensed nearly every legally licensable part from Ferrari and even had several Ferrari engineers on staff. The first podium for Sauber-Petronas came at the 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix with a third place finish, and a podium followed the next season with third at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix. However, the team struggled in the lower midfield throughout 1999 and 2000 and achieved only six points at the turn of the millennium.

This agreement to use Ferrari engines lasted until the team's purchase by BMW for 2006.

c16

1997

The Sauber C16 was the car with which the Sauber team competed in the 1997 Formula One World Championship. It was initially driven by Briton Johnny Herbert, who was in his second season with the team, and Italian Nicola Larini.

Initially the C16 car was designed to accommodate Ford Zetec engine but the decision to change from Ford to Ferrari engines in November 1996 brought with it several challenges for the design team led by Sauber technical director Leo Ress. Where the Ford engine featured the V8 mounted to the back of the engine, the additional two-cylinders positioned in the V shape of the cylinder bank, the Petronas-branded Ferrari engine included all three components attached to the rear of the engine and thus required Sauber to change their design approach.

Against some expectations, the car was competitive at the beginning of the season, but fell away slightly as the season progressed due to lack of development compared with better-funded rivals. The team eventually finished seventh in the Constructors' Championship, with 16 points.

c19

2000

The Sauber C19 was the car with which the Sauber Formula One team competed in the 2000 Formula One World Championship. It was driven by the experienced pairing of Finn Mika Salo and Brazilian Pedro Diniz, who had previously been teammates at Arrows in 1998.

The C19 was the first Sauber Formula One car to utilize bespoke Petronas Syntium lubricants after three seasons utilizing Shell Helix lubricants.

This car introduced twin front suspension mounting pylons, a design that would be used enhanced the following year.

The car proved to be reasonably competitive, but not enough to escape from the large midfield group. The team finished eighth in the Constructors' Championship – same position as in 1999, but with more points.

The team experienced one of the worst races of its F1 career at the Brazilian Grand Prix, when both cars were withdrawn from the race after repeated rear wing failures caused by the bumpy track surface.

c22

2003

The Sauber C22 was the car with which the Sauber Petronas team competed in the 2003 Formula One World Championship.

The C22 was driven by Nick Heidfeld, now in his third season with Sauber and was paired with experienced former Williams and Jordan Grand Prix driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who had deputised for Felipe Massa at the 2002 United States Grand Prix. Massa departed the team to join Ferrari as a test driver. Swiss driver Neel Jani was signed as a test driver for the 2003 season helping develop the C22.

The C22 was the third car designed by Willy Rampf for the Sauber team. Initial designs for the C22 were completed as early as May 2002. Emphasis was placed on improved rigidity of parts, reliability and making the car more compact and lighter than in 2001. Sauber would continue their relationship with Ferrari providing V10 power units for the team. Badged as the Petronas 03A, the engine was based on the Ferrari works engine from 2002 that had taken Michael Schumacher to the world championship title.

The C22 finished the season with 19 points, and took Sauber to 6th position in the Constructors standings. The C22 would be the final Formula One car driven by Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who retired from the sport to join then-General Motors-owned Opel in DTM. Meanwhile, Nick Heidfeld would leave the team but would eventually return when it became BMW Sauber in 2006.

c24

2005

The Sauber C24 was the car with which the Sauber team competed in the 2005 Formula One World Championship.

The C24 was driven by Jacques Villeneuve and Felipe Massa, the first time Sauber had a non-European driver lineup. The team did not have a test driver. Sauber finished eighth in the Constructors' Championship scoring just 20 points - the team's lowest finish since 2000 season largely due to the team struggling to adapt with Michelin tyres due to the C24 chassis initially being designed around Bridgestone tyres.

The Sauber C24 was supposed to be launched in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 11 January to mark the 10th anniversary of Petronas, but the launch was cancelled due to the Asian tsunami disaster in 2004. This car was the first completely designed with the team's new wind tunnel at Hinwil. The engine was a Petronas 05A 3.0 V10.

The livery had a sponsorship change with Red Bull sponsorship departing to Red Bull Racing after a nine-year alliance with Sauber.

The Sauber team was taken over by BMW for the 2006 season. A C24B variant of the car fitted with BMW's P86 V8 Formula One engine was used in early testing between the 2005 and 2006 seasons in the hands of Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve.

bmw factory team (2006–2009)

At the end of the 2005 season, the team's majority shareholding previously owned by Credit Suisse was bought by BMW, with Peter Sauber retaining a 20% stake, and was renamed BMW Sauber. BMW sold its part back to Peter Sauber after the end of the 2009 season, but the team formally used the name BMW Sauber until the end of the 2010 season. The team held a German licence from 2006 to 2009, then reverted to a Swiss licence in 2010.

The team continued to use Sauber's facilities, mostly for chassis construction and wind tunnel testing, while BMW's headquarters in Munich were responsible for building the new P86 V8 engine.

f1.06

2006

The BMW Sauber F1.06 (originally known as the Sauber C25), also simply known as the BMW F1.06, was the car with which the BMW Sauber team competed in the 2006 Formula One World Championship. It was driven by German Nick Heidfeld, who joined from Williams, and Canadian Jacques Villeneuve, who had spent one season with Sauber before it was bought by BMW. However, Villeneuve was replaced by third driver, Pole Robert Kubica, before the season finished. The year marked the first time that BMW had competed as a full team; previously it had only supplied engines. The chassis was designed by Willy Rampf, Jacky Eeckelaert and Seamus Mullarkey with the powertrain being designed by Heinz Paschen.

This was the first V8-powered Hinwil-based Formula One car since the Sauber C14 in 1995 and also first Hinwil-based Formula One car to utilize other than Ferrari engines since the Ford Cosworth-powered Sauber C15 in the 1996 season.

The 2006 season was treated as very much a transitional year by the team, so the car's level of competitiveness was a pleasant surprise. The F1.06 was a contender for points throughout the season, and its form culminated with two podium finishes. The team eventually finished fifth in the Constructors' Championship, with 36 points. The F1.06 car is the last BMW Sauber car to be developed by Sauber due to team transition.

f1.09

2009

The BMW Sauber F1.09 was the Formula One car with which the BMW Sauber team competed in the 2009 Formula One World Championship. The car was launched on 20 January 2009 at Circuit de Valencia in Spain. It was driven by Poland's Robert Kubica and Germany's Nick Heidfeld, both retained from 2008. The chassis was designed by Willy Rampf, Walter Reidl, Christoph Zimmermann and Willem Toet with the powertrain being designed by Markus Duesmann.

As of 2025, this was the last Formula One car powered by a BMW engine and the last Sauber car utilizing with Petronas fuels, as they would supply to Mercedes the following season. The F1.09 was also the last Hinwil-based Formula One car to utilize other than Ferrari engines until the Audi R26 in the 2026 season.

The F1.09 ultimately proved to be disappointing. At times, the drivers could barely scrape through to Q2. Towards the end of the season things began to look up but the damage had been done, and BMW announced that 2009 would be their last season in Formula One. The team eventually finished sixth in the Constructors' Championship.

sauber (2010–2018)

On 27 November 2009, it was announced that Peter Sauber would repurchase the team conditional upon the team receiving a FIA entry for the 2010 season. On 3 December 2009, the FIA confirmed that Sauber had been granted the entry vacated by Toyota Racing following their withdrawal and would be using Ferrari engines. Peter Sauber had said that he had not yet applied for a change of name, so therefore they remained for the 2010 season as BMW Sauber F1 Team despite zero BMW components.

c29

2010

The Sauber C29 (also known as BMW Sauber C29) was a Formula One racing car which was used by the BMW Sauber F1 Team in the 2010 Formula One season. It was unveiled on January 31, at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia.

This was the first Sauber Formula One car that uses fully fledged Ferrari engines since the Petronas-badged C24 in 2005.

The chassis was designed by Willy Rampf, Christoph Zimmermann, Pierre Waché and Seamus Mullarkey with the car being powered with a customer Ferrari engine.

In the early part of the season, the car demonstrated very poor reliability and it was not until the seventh round of the year that the team scored a point with Kamui Kobayashi taking 10th in Turkey. In the second half of the year, the car gradually improved to a very respectable level and the team finished the season with 44 points, taking eighth in the Constructors' Championship.

c32

2013

The Sauber C32 was a Formula One racing car designed and built by the Sauber team for use in the 2013 Formula One World Championship. It was driven by Mexican Esteban Gutiérrez, making his Formula One debut, and German Nico Hülkenberg, who joined the team from Force India. The car was launched on 2 February 2013.

The C32 was designed by Matt Morris, Pierre Waché and Willem Toet with the car being powered by a customer Ferrari engine. It features distinct narrow sidepods which, according to designer Matt Morris, were inspired by former driver Sergio Pérez's crash at the 2011 Monaco Grand Prix.

In comparison to its predecessor, the Sauber C31, the C32 features a lower nose design. The stepped nose concept used throughout 2012 was abandoned, and the nose was modeled to give it smooth profile. The air vent positioned forward of the cockpit in 2012 was retained.

Overall, Sauber finished 7th in the championship with 57 points, 50 of these coming in the second part of the season, a worse record than previous year's C31, which finished 6th with 126 points and 4 podiums.

c34

2015

The Sauber C34 is a Formula One racing car which Sauber used to compete in the 2015 Formula One season. The C34 was driven by Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr.

The car was launched online on 30 January 2015 on the team's website, and it proved to be a vast improvement over the C33. In the opening round of the season, in Australia, the Saubers qualified in eleventh and sixteenth places, with rookie Felipe Nasr ahead of his teammate Marcus Ericsson. They ended, respectively, in fifth and eighth positions.

 At the Singapore Grand Prix, Sauber introduced a new aerodynamic package. The most immediate difference can be found in the shorter nose, quite similar in the shape with the ones of the Williams cars, Red Bulls and McLarens. The car also showed new front and rear wings and a slimmer bodywork; thanks to these upgrades – and the high rate of retirements – Nasr was able to finish in tenth position.

In the last six races, Sauber managed to collect 10 points from a sixth and a ninth place – both results achieved by Nasr – ending the season with a tally of 36 points and 8th place in the World Constructors' Championship.

c36

2017

The Sauber C36 is a Formula One racing car designed and constructed by Sauber to compete in the 2017 Formula One World Championship. The car was driven by Marcus Ericsson and Pascal Wehrlein, who joined the team from Manor Racing to replace outgoing Felipe Nasr. 

Intended to be Sauber's last Ferrari powered car before joining Honda as a factory team, the C36 is one of the few cars of F1's turbo hybrid era to have been powered by a year-old power unit. This deal was eventually terminated by Sauber during the 2017 season when team principal Monisha Kaltenborn was replaced by new team owners Longbow Finance. The lowly finishing position, combined with years of financial neglect, led to the team's takeover by Finn Rausing, a Swedish billionaire and owner of Longbow Finance.

Wehrlein achieved each of the car's five points, a score which relegated the team to a tenth place finish in the World Constructors Championship for a second consecutive season.

The C36 was not a points contender for the rest of the season, achieving notability only for a strange crash between Wehrlein and Jenson Button at Portier corner at the Monaco Grand Prix. Later in the season at the Malaysian Grand Prix, the C36 fielded Ferrari Academy driver Charles Leclerc in Free Practice 1.

partnership with alfa romeo (2018)

In April 2017, it was confirmed Sauber would end their engine deal with Ferrari and begin a new contract with Honda. However, on 27 July 2017, it was announced that Sauber had cancelled their planned partnership with Honda for 2018 onwards for "strategic reasons".  The following day Sauber confirmed their new multi-year agreement with Ferrari for up-to-date engines starting in 2018. On 29 November 2017, Sauber announced that they had signed a multi-year technical and commercial partnership contract with Alfa Romeo, therefore the team was renamed to Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team for the 2018 season onwards

c37

2018

The Sauber C37 is a Formula One racing car designed and constructed by Sauber to compete during the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship. The car was driven by Marcus Ericsson and reigning Formula 2 champion Charles Leclerc, who replaced Pascal Wehrlein. The C37 made its competitive début at the 2018 Australian Grand Prix and uses a 2018-specification Ferrari engine. This was the last car to be raced under the Sauber name until 2024 as they were renamed as Alfa Romeo for the 2019 season, although the team's structure remained unchanged.

The chassis was designed by Jörg Zander, Luca Furbatto, Ian Wright and Nicolas Hennel with the car being powered with a customer Ferrari powertrain.

The car was originally intended to use an engine supplied by Honda until the team underwent a reorganisation of its management structure and the agreement was abandoned. After using year-old Ferrari engines in 2017, Sauber renegotiated with Ferrari and secured current-specification engines as part of an agreement with sister marque Alfa Romeo.

Sauber finished the season in eighth in the Constructors' Championship with 48 points. Their best finish in 2018 was sixth place courtesy of Leclerc at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

alfa romeo racing/F1 team (2019–2023)

On 1 February 2019, following the multi-year sponsorship agreement established in 2018, Sauber announced that the team would rename to Alfa Romeo Racing, while the ownership, Swiss racing licence, and management structure would remain unchanged. Alfa Romeo itself had no technical involvement with the team – which continued using customer Ferrari power units – with Sauber describing its relationship with the automaker as a "commercial partnership". Other sponsors for the season included Shell, Singha, Axitea, Carrera, and Huski Chocolate.

c38

2019

The Alfa Romeo Racing C38 (originally known as the Sauber C38) is a Formula One racing car designed and constructed by Alfa Romeo Racing to compete during the 2019 Formula One World Championship. It is the first Sauber-engineered car to be badged Alfa Romeo following a team renaming deal struck with Sauber Motorsport AG in February 2019. It was Alfa Romeo's first season as a F1 team since 1985. The car was driven by Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi. The car finished 8th in the Constructors' Championship with 57 points, 43 for Räikkönen and 14 for Giovinazzi.

The chassis was designed by Simone Resta, Luca Furbatto, Ian Wright, Jan Monchaux and Nicolas Hennel with the car being powered with a customer Ferrari powertrain.

The C38's engine is a 1600cc V6 engine, with a single turbocharger. The Energy Recovery System (ERS) is accumulated into a battery pack and deployed via a 120 kW electric motor. The C38 has an 8-speed gearbox, 6-piston Brembo brake callipers, and carbon-composite discs and pads from Carbon Industries. The chassis is a carbon-composite monocoque.

c42

2021

The Alfa Romeo C42 is a Formula One car designed and built by Alfa Romeo to compete in the 2022 Formula One World Championship. The C42 is built to the new generation of technical regulations, originally intended for introduction in 2021.

The car was driven by former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas and rookie Zhou Guanyu.

The C42 follows the C41, which in turn follows the C39. The new-generation car had been internally allocated the designation C40 in anticipation of new regulations for the 2021 season. When these were delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new car, the C41, had to be developed based on the C39 for the interim regulations. However, ahead of the car's unveiling, Alfa Romeo stated that the car would not carry the C40 but instead carry the C42 designation to avoid the sequence of C39, C41, C40, which could have been confusing.

The C42 was the only car to weigh less than the original minimum weight requirement of 795 kg. Several other teams lobbied the FIA to increase the minimum weight, with a compromise reached to raise the minimum weight limit to 798 kg.

Alfa Romeo finished P7 in the constructors' championship, but ultimately claimed P6 for the first time since 2012 (when the team was competing as Sauber).

kick sauber (2024–2025)

Sauber officially lost its Alfa Romeo sponsorship due to transitioning to the Audi factory team from 2026 onwards. Due to this, Sauber's links with Ferrari became weaker, with the Haas team effectively assuming Sauber's role as Ferrari's new satellite team. Sauber entered as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber (but operated as Stake F1 Team on a day-to-day basis), continuing the sponsorship deals signed by Alfa Romeo with Stake and Kick in the previous season. In countries where gambling advertisement is disallowed, the team competed as Kick Sauber F1 Team and replaced all Stake logos on their car with Kick logos, just as they had done in 2023. Kick also acquired the naming rights of the chassis for two seasons, with the 2024 car named as Kick Sauber C44.

c44

2024

The Kick Sauber C44 is a Formula One car designed and constructed by Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber to compete in the 2024 Formula One World Championship. The car was driven by Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, both in their third and final year with the team. The C44 was the first chassis to re-inherit the Sauber name after the team's naming rights partnership with Alfa Romeo ended. While substantially different than the Alfa Romeo C43, the car experienced poor reliability and regressed during the season after upgrades repeatedly failed to address fundamental issues.

The C44 was the first Sauber design to be led by James Key, who reunited with then-CEO Andreas Seidl after his dismissal from McLaren. He inherited a design started by longtime Sauber designer Jan Monchaux, who was replaced by Key in August of 2023.

The C44 relegated Sauber to a last place finish in the World Constructor's Championship for the first time since 2017, scoring four total points in the penultimate race of the season at the Qatar Grand Prix.

c45

2025

The Kick Sauber C45 is a Formula One car designed and constructed by Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber to compete in the 2025 Formula One World Championship. It was driven by Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg in the team's final year before becoming the Audi factory team in 2026.

Designed as an evolution of the Kick Sauber C44, a series of successive upgrades starting at the Spanish Grand Prix significantly increased the team's competitiveness. After scoring three consecutive points finishes, Hülkenberg achieved the team's first podium since 2012 at the 2025 British Grand Prix. The C45 achieved more points in its first race than its predecessor scored throughout the entire 2024 season. 

During the Great Britain mixed-condition race with heavy rain, Hülkenberg held off Lewis Hamilton in the final stages to finish on the podium in third position. This result was his maiden podium after 239 Formula 1 starts, ending the longest historical streak of race starts without a podium finish. This was also the team's first podium in thirteen years, ending a drought dating back to the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix.

audi factory team (2026–)

On 26 October 2022, it was announced that Sauber will compete as the Audi factory team from 2026 and will use Audi's power unit, thus ended a sixteen-year customer engine relationship with Ferrari since the 2010 season.

In January 2023, Audi announced the acquisition of a minority stake in the Sauber Group. On 8 March 2024, the Audi Group confirmed a full takeover of Sauber. Former McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl was planned to continue as CEO, additionally taking over the role of team principal from Alessandro Alunni Bravi. However, he was replaced by former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto starting from 1 August 2024. Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley was expected to join in the summer of 2025, having left Red Bull at the end of 2024 and having planned to go on gardening leave in the start of 2025. However, he joined earlier on 1 April 2025 following a deal struck for his earlier release to Sauber.

Prior to World War II, Audi's predecessor Auto Union contested Grand Prix motor racing from 1935 to 1939.

Audi debuted at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in 2026 with the R26, designed for new chassis and power unit regulations. Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg qualified 10th and 11th respectively. Bortoleto finished the race in 9th place, scoring Audi's first ever points in Formula One.