Ferrari’s former chief strategy officer and sporting director, Iniaki Ruedahired the Sauberwhich is strengthening ahead of its participation in the Formula 1 championship with Audi in 2026. The 46-year-old Spaniard left the team at the end of 2023 and joins Sauber to succeed the Swiss as sporting director Beat Cheddarwho is moving to the new position of director of signature programs and operations.
Rueda, who worked at Ferrari with Audi’s Formula 1 project chief, Matia Binottowill be responsible for all sporting activities, including managing the relationship with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and all matters relating to track regulations. The 58-year-old Cheder, who has been with Sauber since its debut in 1993, is stepping into a role which Sauber says involves ensuring “the rich heritage of Sauber Motorsport continues to grow, maintain its core values and to lead efforts to innovate and shape its future” in 2025. Cheder will also help oversee the transition of the new structure into next season.
Meanwhile, Sauber also announced his hiring Giambaolo Dall’Ara in the newly created role of head of race engineering, which will focus on the division’s operations, both at the team’s factory in Heinville, Switzerland, and at the track. The Italian joined Sauber in 2000, becoming head of engineering at the Swiss team from 2009-15, before leaving to work at Alfa Romeo’s DTM team and run his own consultancy since 2016.
These are the first major changes at Sauber since new chief executive Mattia Binotto joined the team in the summer. Then former Audi project managing director Andreas Scheidl left, as did Audi executive Oliver Hoffmann, who had overseen the project. It is recalled that in 2025, Jonathan Whitley will take over as the head of the Swiss team, who will be a thing of the past from the position of Red Bull’s sporting director at the end of 2024.
Sauber are currently last in the Formula One constructors’ standings and are looking for their first point of the season with four races to go before the end of the year. The Swiss team has not yet announced who will be its second driver for 2025, while it has already signed German Nico Hulkenberg, who is “running” this year for Haas. The main contenders are Finland’s Valtteri Bottas, who drives for Sauber this year, and Brazil’s Gabriel Bortoletto, who leads the Formula 2 championship standings.
Source: Sport Fm
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