Beat Zehnder to leave Audi Hinwil as leadership restructuring begins

Zehnder exits Hinwil

Audi announced that Beat Zehnder will leave the organization at the end of December 2026 following a restructuring of operations ahead of the 2027 season. Zehnder spent 34 years at Hinwil after founder Peter Sauber hired him in 1988 as a mechanic for a sportscar programme. He moved with Sauber to Formula 1 at the start of the 1993 season and became team manager the following year, and he oversaw the team through 601 consecutive Grands Prix. I see his exit as a significant blow to the Hinwil squad because he managed the team through the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix win with Roberto Kubica. During his tenure, he served as a mentor to hundreds of team members and drivers who passed through Hinwil. He remained at the heart of the team’s many highs and lows through its various stints as an independent team and its period as a BMW works squad. Zehnder stepped away from management last year as Sauber prepared its transformation into the Audi works operation. He also holds 36 World Sportscar Championship race credits. Most recently, he served as Director Signature Programs & Operations to manage heritage activities and hospitality suite preparation. The team expressed its thanks for his 39 years of outstanding service and his relentless competitive streak.

New leadership at Neuburg

The leadership shake-up includes the appointment of Thomas Fuhr as CEO of Audi Formula Racing GmbH on 1 November. Fuhr will be responsible for developing and building the power unit in Neuburg an der Donau. Fuhr previously ran Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains from 2009 to 2012 and joins Audi from Georg Fischer Building Flow Solutions, where he was Chief Technology Officer. This move brings back a CEO role that Audi removed in 2025 after Adam Baker left the organization. The new structure splits running the engine company from improving the hardware. Stefan Dreyer will now concentrate entirely on technical development as Chief Technology Officer, while Christian Foyer remains the Chief Operating Officer at the Neuburg site. Since May 2025, Dreyer has also acted as a spokesperson for the Audi Formula Racing management board. Mattia Binotto, the team CEO and principal, said Fuhr will help develop the organization as Audi pursues its ambition to become "the best F1 manufacturer." Fuhr, who previously held senior executive roles at GROHE and LIXIL, brings more than three decades of international engineering and leadership experience to the project. I find it disappointing that the engine has held Audi back while the team sits eighth in the constructors’ championship. The power deficit from the first engine built at the new Neuburg factory was not unexpected, but it remains hard to make up in such a tight field. Fuhr must now close the gap to established manufacturers.