Audi set to scale back customer support

Audi is set to revise the support provided to customer teams from the end of the current season ahead of its impending move into Formula 1 with the Sauber team.

The German marque will enter F1 in 2026 with Sauber becoming the official Audi works team, which was widely expected to have an impact on its racing activities elsewhere.

Initial suggestions had been that the customer racing division – which overseas programmes in TCR and GT3 competition – could be closed down, although those suggestions have proved to be incorrect according to a report by Motorsport-Magazin.

Instead, Audi will no longer supply any financial support to customer teams competing in the likes of the DTM or at ‘blue riband’ events like the Nurburgring 24 Hours, whilst the much-discussed Dakar programme will also conclude after the 2024 edition of the race.

The decision not to close the customer racing department will be welcome news to teams running the Audi RS 3 LMS in TCR competition, although there will still be an impact felt across touring cars – most notably with all 14 of the current Audi Sport drivers being left to look for new roles.

That includes Frédéric Vervisch, who is currently competing in the TCR World Tour with the Comtoyou team.