Qatar Investment Authority invests in Audi’s F1 project

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar, on all Swiss law-related aspects of its acquisition of a significant minority stake in Sauber Holding AG, the future Formula 1 factory team of German car manufacturer Audi AG.

With this strategic investment, QIA will enter the project as a long-term investor and partner. QIA’s investment will provide a substantial capital injection and further pave the way for increasing infrastructure and team buildout, positioning the team for long-term success in the Formula 1.

QIA was established in 2005 to protect and grow Qatar’s financial assets, and to help diversify the economy. It is a global investment organisation with investments spanning all major global markets, asset classes, sectors and geographies. Audi will officially enter Formula 1 with a factory team with the change of the technical regulations in 2026.

The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

The NKF team was led by Corporate/M&A partner Daniel Bono, working with partner Philippe Weber, senior associate Samuel Hochstrasser, associate Pascal Hodel and junior associates Peter-Conradin Schreiber, Philipp Theiler, Matthias Zinniker, Sarah Baumann and Dorian Trogu (all Corporate/M&A), partner Nicolas Birkhäuser (Antitrust & Competition), associate Stephanie Huchler (Employment) and partner Markus Kronauer and senior associate Sven Kälin (both Tax).

QIA was inhouse advised by Michael Schweppe.