Audi announce departure of key stalwart Beat Zehnder after nearly 40 years

The Audi team have confirmed that Beat Zehnder will leave the organization at the end of December 2026, bringing an end to an illustrious 39-year tenure at Hinwil.

The departure comes as part of a wider restructuring of the team's operational setup in preparation for the 2027 season.

Zehnder joined Sauber Motorsport back in 1988 and played a crucial role in their sportscar programme, which claimed victory at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as World Sports Prototype Championship titles in 1989 and 1990.

In 1993, he made the move into Formula 1 alongside the team, before taking over as team manager the following year—a role he successfully held for over two decades.

In 2018, the Swiss stalwart (pictured above in 2024) joined the Management Committee, and more recently oversaw the team's heritage activities as Director of Special Programmes and Operations.

Over the course of nearly 40 years at Hinwil, Zehnder worked with an array of prominent racers and mentored world-class talents including Kimi Räikkönen, Felipe Massa, Sebastian Vettel, Robert Kubica, and Charles Leclerc.

His remarkable career tally includes 36 World Sportscar Championship races and an astonishing streak of 601 consecutive Formula 1 Grands Prix.

The team expressed their deep gratitude to Zehnder for his dedicated service, highlighting that throughout his tenure he never wavered from "his professionalism, tireless competitive spirit, and drive to win."