Soon to morph into Audi, Sauber CEO, Andreas Seidl given insight into the plan for the Swiss outfit, and current partner Alfa Romeo, moving forward.

With Audi not set to take its place on the grid until 2026, when the new engine formula comes in, Alfa Romeo takes its leave of its current arrangement with Sauber at the end of this year, leaving many wondering what the plan is for the Swiss outfit over the next two seasons.

Asked his main focus at present, the man who helped McLaren take a significant step forward, Andreas Seidl, admits: "I'm taking my time right now to get to know as many people as possible, to build relationships and to understand how the team works.

"In all of my conversations I want to understand where the strengths and weaknesses in the organisation are, and where the gaps to teams currently running in front of us are located."

The German has already made changes to the management structure, not least the appointment of Alessandro Alunni Bravi as "team representative" at Alfa Romeo.

"The structure we've put in place plays to the strengths of the individuals involved and it allows me, as CEO, to focus on the strategic future of the Sauber Group and the team," explains Seidl. "The strong leadership team, trackside and at HQ, is designed for efficiency and to divide the tasks at hand among different individuals with clear responsibilities.

"The most significant evolution from last year is the expanded role of Alessandro Alunni Bravi. He'll continue to oversee the team's commercial and legal activities as managing director, as he did in the past, and in addition he'll now be the public face of the team in the role of Team Representative. Together with Head of Track Engineering & Operations, Xevi Pujolar, and Sporting Director, Beat Zehnder, he will form a strong leadership team trackside.

"Formula One is the Sauber Group's core focus," he continues, "so of course I will be involved and want to contribute with my experience. But I want my leadership team to run things on a daily basis. They are a strong group of people, whom I trust, and I will empower them and give them everything they need.

"I will attend a few races, but the foundations of success in F1 are laid at the factory and that's where my immediate focus will be."

Asked about his targets for the year ahead, he replies: "We have seen in 2022, at the start of a new regulations cycle, that this team can deliver a strong car and make progress up the grid. The key for us is to continue in this direction in the coming months and years.

"What I want to see is progress in every area of the team, be that at the factory or trackside. Having seen and recently experienced how the team has prepared for this coming season under the leadership of our technical director, Jan Monchaux, and operations director, Axel Kruse, I am very optimistic we will achieve this as a team.

"Every area of the Group is growing," he continues, "and we want to continue that trajectory in the short, medium and long term.

"The team has shown its capabilities through continuous growth and sporting success over the years, both on-track and off-track. Our vision in Hinwil for the future is clear: we want to keep moving forward and ultimately become a team which is able to fight for podiums and race wins.

"We want to become a desirable team, where people want to be – employees, drivers and partners. We want to become a team which fans want to follow. My focus, together with the team, is to work out, implement and execute a clear plan of how we get there.

"Sauber Motorsport's title partnership with Alfa Romeo has been a success on and off the track," he adds, "it has evolved into a model of technical and commercial partnership and has by far exceed expectations over the past five years.

"The relationship has allowed us to grow a global promotional platform that has contributed to increasing our standing and credibility with partners and sponsors. Our aim for this year is, together with Alfa Romeo, to continue improving the team's on-track results and see Alfa Romeo's fantastic activation programme coming to life during 2023, a plan we're excited to share in the coming weeks and months."

Asked about Audi, the German appears keen not to give too much away, preferring to talk of the positives for Sauber.

"It's very significant because it provides everyone at Sauber with stability and a clear direction of travel," he says. "As a group we know that we have a great future ahead of us, at the same time all our focus is on the here and now, on performing short term in the coming season with Alfa Romeo and on continuing our successful partnership with Ferrari for the next three years."

For 2023, the team has retained both Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou, asked bout their main strengths he is in no doubt.

"They are both fast!" he replies. "That's the biggest thing for a driver. But they are also impressive people and I've had some very interesting chats with them about the team.

"Valtteri's experience and race-winning knowledge are great assets for us which, combined with his focus and commitment, will help us to further develop as a team. But he's also a fun guy to be around.

"Zhou complements Valtteri well. I like a mix of youth and experience in a driver line-up, and Zhou proved last year that he deserves his place in Formula 1. He showed continuous improvement. F1 is such a big step up from anything that drivers have experienced in the junior formulas and Zhou is used to this environment now. I am looking forward to seeing the next step from his side going into his second F1 season with us."

As previously reported, Sauber places great importance on its academy, the Swiss team having introduced a number of great names to the sport over the years.

"The Academy is an important tool for developing young talent and we're fully committed to it," says Seidl. "Sauber has a proud history of nurturing talent and giving them a chance, think of names like Schumacher, Raikkonen, Vettel, Kubica, Leclerc, to name just a few. This is an investment for the future, for ourselves and for the sport.

"In 2023 we're supporting four drivers: Theo Pourchaire in F2, Lena Buhler in F1 Academy, Marcus Amand in European Formula Renault and Taym Saleh in CIK Karting. I'm excited to see what each of them can achieve.

"Theo is also our third and reserve driver in F1, so he'll have a busy programme alongside his F2 season. He's going to be heavily involved with the F1 simulator and later in the year he'll get some track time in the C43."

Like his fellow team bosses and CEOs, Seidl is impressed with the sport's increasing popularity.

"The sport is enjoying a surge in popularity, which is fantastic news," he says. "Liberty Media and the FIA have done a great job in modernising F1, both from a regulatory standpoint and in the way it’s consumed by fans.

"The FIA’s new technical and financial rules have achieved positive change and the sport is now much more open and accessible to the fans, which is in line with our team’s fan-centric approach. Everything we do is meant to bring our fans closer to the team. We value openness, showing our true spirit and bringing our "home team" to the fore.

"I think it’s great to see a sport populated by healthy teams, with crowded venues and worldwide interest. We’re all playing an important part in making sure our sport is exciting and remains relevant in the future."