Ralf Schumacher believes that Audi cannot wait until 2030 to show relevant results in Formula 1. For the former driver, the crisis scenario experienced by the German automaker increases the pressure on the sports project.
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Audi currently occupies eighth place in the Constructors’ World Championship and has set 2030 as the horizon to compete for the title. Schumacher, however, considers this deadline distant given the financial difficulties faced by the company and the Volkswagen group.
“I was very happy that Nico scored his first points before the break, but Audi needs to do more than send a signal to the parent company,” Schumacher told the newspaper Bild. “Audi is currently in crisis and I think the racing team needs to show success so that the mood at Audi does not turn against the investment in F1.”
According to the Deutsche Welle portal, Audi announced plans to eliminate up to 7,500 jobs in Germany by the end of 2029. The Volkswagen group, which controls the brand, intends to cut up to 100,000 positions by 2030.
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Schumacher directly related this context to the time available for the Formula 1 project to gain strength. “Wanting to compete for the title in 2030 may be too late. Successes need to come faster,” he added.
After 12 rounds, Audi has 16 points and its best results are three eighth places. Gabriel Bortoleto finished eighth in England and Belgium, while Nico Hülkenberg repeated the position at the Dutch GP.
With these results, the team occupies eighth place in the championship, ahead of Williams, Aston Martin, and Cadillac. For Schumacher, however, maintaining only a gradual trajectory may not be enough to protect Audi’s investment in the category given the internal pressures faced by the automaker.
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