Audi will enter Formula 1 in 2026, but it’s already making big plans.

Esteban Ocon seemed to be the main target of drivers stopping their cars. F1.com reported: “Sources believe the Frenchman is very much at the top of the list as the Sauber-led stake prepares to maneuver to become Audi in 2026.”

Ocon is “one of the few drivers” considered “top of the list” by former McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl, who was responsible for Audi’s recent launches. Seidl held a meeting with the network’s driver managers about the future, the report said.

The team known as Alfa Romeo last season will this year become F1 Team Stake led by Sauber, which will take over from Audi in 2026. Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will retain their driver roles this season.

Veteran Bottas “wants to lead the Audi challenge” but he and Zhou “need to improve their performance” to remain in the team. Ocon could be a strong target as his contract with the Alps expires at the end of this season.

He overtook Fernando Alonso in 2022 and, despite seven DNFs, finished eight points behind teammate Pierre Gasly in 2023.

But there is uncertainty in the Alps as the top management structure employed by Ocon (and Gasly) has largely disappeared. Delays, mysterious crashes and Ocon ahead: what happened in F1 post-season testing?

The new group is “going after the market”, despite being happy with bosses Ocon and Gasly. If Ocon fails to sign, he would be Audi’s main option for the team.