Sauber poach key Ferrari figure in F1 reshuffle

Sauber Motorsport has announced the signing of Ferrari sporting director Inaki Rueda as it continues to prepare for the transition to Audi. 

The Hinwil-based outfit it competing in the 2024 and 2025 seasons as Stake F1 before Audi enters for the new technical regulations in 2026, with former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto starting as chief technical and chief operating officer earlier this year in a reshuffle in which former McLaren boss Andreas Seidl departed.

As it continues its development and re-building phase, the team has now secured the services of Rueda as sporting director after previous spells at Jordan, Renault and Lotus before he joined Ferrari, rising to sporting director.

He will replace long-serving stalwart Beat Zehnder, who will transition into a new role as director or signature programs and operations from 2025.

The team has also announced the signing of Giampaolo Dall’Ara in the new role of head of race engineering. 

Key Sauber appointments

Zehnder, who has been with Sauber since its F1 debut in 1993 and through the BMW-Sauber guise has "decided to shift his focus "to other areas of the business as he will become Director of Signature Programs and Operations, starting in 2025," according to a statement. 

In his new role, the veteran will help to continue to grow Sauber Motorsport and will "fulfill a supervising function to assure the best possible transition as the team grows into its new structures."

Dall’Ara is an alumnus of the Politecnico di Milano, with an extensive motorsport background, including key roles within the Alfa Romeo DTM team and a previous stint at Sauber Motorsport, where he worked as Head of Test Engineering and Head of Track Engineering, before moving to run his own consultancy firm since 2016.