Audi is building beyond the pit wall. Hinwil will get a new campus, with work due to finish in 2030. The message is clear: the team wants its future rooted in Switzerland.
Audi has confirmed plans for a new campus beside its existing Hinwil operation, adding a long-term development hub to its expanding Formula 1 programme. Parts of the site on Zurichstrasse became operational in summer 2026, while the full project is scheduled for completion in 2030. The project gives the former Sauber outfit more than a new address. It is designed to improve collaboration, attract specialist staff and support the daily demands of a modern F1 team preparing for life as a works operation. The move also signals that Audi sees its Swiss base as a lasting centre of the project, rather than a temporary bridge to its engine programme in Germany.
Audi’s new Formula 1 base builds on Sauber’s Hinwil roots
Sauber moved into Formula 1 in 1993 after running Mercedes’ sportscar programme during the 1980s. BMW bought the team in 2005, then sold it back to Sauber in 2009; Audi later took control in stages and completed its full takeover in January 2025.
That history leaves the new campus tied to an established racing town, not a fresh corporate outpost. The existing Team headquarters on Wildbachstrasse will undergo redevelopment, but its wind tunnel will remain in use—an unusual piece of continuity for a major Team expansion.
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The infrastructure has needed serious attention. After BMW’s exit, Sauber operated on a comparatively lean budget, leaving its computational fluid dynamics cluster and wind tunnel in need of modernisation as Audi prepared to scale up its Racing operations.
There is a paddock footnote in the tunnel’s history: Mercedes’ payment to release Kimi Räikkönen from his Sauber contract for a 2002 move to McLaren helped fund it. The old facility now faces redevelopment around it, while the wind tunnel stays part of the technical toolkit. That blend of legacy and renewal defines the Audi F1 project.
The power-unit operation will remain in Neuburg an der Donau, Germany, while Audi keeps its offices in Bicester, England. That UK satellite base helps recruit experienced staff who may not be able or willing to relocate to Switzerland, giving the programme access to a wider talent pool.
Why Audi’s new team headquarters matters for 2030
Audi chief executive and team principal Mattia Binotto said the campus should help the team attract and retain top-level talent. His argument is practical: engineers, designers, mechanics and specialists need an environment where they can work together quickly, especially as a factory outfit builds systems across chassis and power unit operations.
That makes the site more than a real-estate play. Running a competitive team requires heavy spending across staffing, research and infrastructure, a point explored in this breakdown of Formula 1 team costs. For Audi, the campus is a long-term investment in the people and processes behind performance.
The wider 2026 grid is already adapting to a new technical era, and early running offers a glimpse of how teams are approaching the regulations; Mercedes’ Barcelona test form provides one point of comparison. Audi’s challenge is to turn its new facilities into speed, while keeping Hinwil, Neuburg and Bicester aligned.
With completion targeted for 2030, the campus will take shape across the first seasons of Audi’s full works era. The wind tunnel stays, the engine team remains in Germany, and Hinwil gains a purpose-built home for the next phase of the Audi operation.
