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Stefan Strähnz has been snapped up by Sauber – soon to be Audi – after 13 years with Mercedes.
The current Mercedes Chief Engineer announced his departure from the team on LinkedIn last week.
It has now been announced that Stefan Strähnz will join Sauber’s management team in October 2024. As reported in Sauber Group’s newsletter sharing Strähnz’s recruitment, it is hoped that he:
“Will bring a wealth of operational and organisational development and leadership skills as the team dramatically ramps up its growth in the run-up to Audi’s entry into the sport in 2026.”
Strähnz will take on the new role of Programme Director. This is not Sauber’s first acquisition. Stefano Sordo was recently announced as their new Performance Director. Additionally, Nico Hulkenberg is moving from Haas to Sauber for the 2025 season.
Strähnz’s history in the sport
Strähnz has worked for multiple Formula 1 teams and has over 20 years of experience. He has worked for Toyota, BAR Honda, Renault, Lotus, and – most recently – Mercedes.
In the early 90s, he began his career with a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering at FH Bingen. His first taste of motorsports was with Joest Racing in Germany as a Data Analysis and Race Engineer from the mid to late 90s.
Strähnz then moved to Prodrive as their Liaison, Data Analysis, and Research and Development Engineer. He was based in Banbury for this role from 1997 to early 2000.
Moving into F1, Strähnz worked with Toyota as a Senior Dynamic Rig Engineer in Germany for almost two years in the early 00s. Then, he moved to BAR Honda as a Senior Tyre and Test Engineer for over four years, based in Brackley.
Next, Strähnz moved to Renault in 2006. He was based in Enstone and worked as the Head of Reliability for almost three years. Renaming the former Renault team, Strähnz was then Design Office Manager for Lotus Renault GP in late 2008. He remained in Enstone during this time, for just over three years.
The Mercedes years
His longest stint with an F1 team was his time with Mercedes. Strähnz joined the team at the start of 2012 as their Design Officer Manager based in Brackley. He was in that position for four months before taking the role of Engineering Group Manager.
After almost six years, Strähnz’s next move was the role of Chief Engineer of Business Process Transformation – a role he stayed in for two years. Following this, he became Project Pioneer Programme Manager at the start of 2020.
His final move at Mercedes was to his most recent role as Chief Engineer of Cost and Commercial Programmes. He began this position at the end of 2020 and has now departed the team. Strähnz will join Sauber in October.
Move to Sauber
Strähnz will work closely with Sauber Motorsport CEO, Andreas Seidl. As reported in their newsletter announcing the acquisition, Seidl said:
“I am delighted to welcome Stefan to the team, and I am sure that he will bring an incredible amount of experience from his previous roles, in which he won multiple races and championships, to further complement and strengthen our leadership team.
“With his unique experience, Stefan will play a vital role in driving the team’s overall effectiveness and prepare us on our journey to full finance regulation optimisation as we become the Audi F1 factory team.”
Andreas Seidl joins the Sauber Group as Chief Executive Officer, starting in Jan 2023.
He will be tasked with continuing the growth of the group as Sauber keeps establishing itself as one of the brightest sporting, industrial entities around.
Story: https://t.co/5MSBzDYCR4 pic.twitter.com/Lm0RTaGWYW
— Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber (@stakef1team_ks) December 13, 2022
Seidl continued:
“Working closely with myself, the management team and all our expanding technical, operational and finance departments, Stefan’s main mission is to deliver fully streamlined and optimised F1 car programmes, from concept through to track introduction.”
Strähnz also shared his thoughts about taking on the role of Programme Director for Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber. He shared:
“I am immensely proud and excited to join the talented people at Sauber Motorsport on our exciting journey to become the Audi F1 factory team in 2026. I have experienced a similar journey in my previous roles, and I will be applying all my learnings and energy into this new and challenging programme to develop the required tools, processes and culture for sustainable long-term on- and off-track success.”
He added:
“It is a true privilege to join such an iconic brand as Audi with all its previous technology and motorsport achievements. I look forward to taking a leadership role in our ambitious targets to win championships in F1.”
Featured Image Credit: @wearetherace on X