Sauber, who will 💜evolve into Audi in 2026, have warned that they will be “a player” in the F1 driver market.

The arrival of the German manufacturing powerhouse Audi int🍰o Formula 1 means that they are already preparing the team for its evolution.

That includes 🅺the potential arrival of coveted drivers for Sauber next year.

Carlos Sainz is the key nam🌃e who is being linked wꦯith the project.

Red Bull’s Helmut Marko has claimed they cannot “match or bꦿeat” a big-money offer from Audi to Sai൲nz.

"There are 14 drivers without a contract fixed for next year. We are spe♔aking with different drivers," said Sauber team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi.

"It is not the time for us to make any decision. It's time to pro♏vide our drivers with a perform💧ing car.

"But we are happy that it seems that we can play a role - a differ💜ent role - in the driver market for the future.

“Thanks to th𝕴e Audi announcement, and the investments that will be done in order to improve our team.

"Finally we a🥀re attractive. And we are not the spectators. We are a player in t🏅he market."

Guanyu Zhou and Valtteri Bottas 𓂃currently make up Sauber’s driver duo but both of their contracts expire this ye♈ar, and both are at-risk of losing their drives.

Ferrari’s Sainz and Haas🌼’ Nico Hulkenberg have been heavily linked with moving to Sauber to then spearhead Audi’s entry from 2026.

Alunni𝄹 Bravi refused to confirm any targets, but said: "It's not appropriate to discuss or to disclose what could be the dis♚cussion in place.

"No one re♛ally knows what other teams are offering to the drivers or discussing with ⛄the drivers.

“We don't♐ want to be part of a game that is done by others.

♏"Every driver is speaking with a lot of teams to understand the situation.

“To understand if there could be a common vision on the project. Especially for a team 🙈like us, that is in full transformation process ahead of 2💟026.

"But we are focused on our drivers, and 𓄧we respect our drivers.”