Ferrari will soon be the only team without a base of operations in the UK.

As it stands, are also based entirely in Europe. The -owned midfield team is based in Hinwil, Switzerland, while its new engines for the 2026 season are being built at a factory in Neuburg, Germany, owned and operated by the German manufacturer.

But the plan is for that to have changed by the middle of this year. On Tuesday, Sauber announced its plan to open a new base in 'motorsport valley' - an unofficial term describing the area of southern England in which most F1 teams have a base of operations close to the Silverstone circuit.

"Sauber Motorsport is currently evaluating potential locations within 'motorsport valley,' including Bicester, Silverstone, and Milton Keynes," the team confirmed. "The goal is to have the UK Technical Centre operational by summer 2025."

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The team is committing to the significant outlay to solve one of its biggest problems. For many years, Sauber have struggled to recruit top talent because it is difficult to convince them to uproot their lives and move to Switzerland, where the cost of living is extremely high in comparison to the UK.

F1 teams are also restricted by a budget cap, from which only the top three highest earners are exempt. So almost every staff wage contributes to the annual maximum budget each team is allowed to spend, meaning the high wages Sauber have to pay workers in Switzerland is taking vital cash away from other areas where performance can be improved.

By opening a UK base, Sauber hope to attract better engineers without having to pay them as much. It is a method successfully implemented by rivals , who based in North Carolina but have satellite operations in Banbury, Oxfordshire, and in Maranello, Italy, to house staff on secondment from close technical partners .

Italy-based sister team has this year moved a significant chunk of its operations to the UK to be in closer sync with the parent squad in Milton Keynes. And Cadillac, who plan to form F1's 11th team from 2026, have a British facility in Silverstone, Northamptonshire, despite being headquartered in the USA.

are owned by Renault but the engine plant at Viry-Chatillon in France will no longer make F1 engines and the team will be almost wholly based in Enstone, Oxfordshire. Five other teams - , , , Red Bull and - are all headquartered within 'motorsport valley'.

It means Ferrari will soon be the only F1 team with no operations at all in the UK. The Prancing Horse did used to have a UK base, of which respected former motorsport journalist Peter Windsor was once general manager, but that operation was closed down many years ago.

Audi hopes that its new facility, which will be named the Sauber Motorsport Centre UK, "will extend the team's presence and influence within the global Formula 1 landscape". And chief operating officer , former Ferrari team principal, has made Sauber's intentions clear.

He said: "We are excited to establish our technical centre in the UK to complement our key site in Hinwil, which will continue to lead our main engineering operations and experience the largest team growth. Expanding into the UK allows us to remain close to one of the world's most dynamic motorsport ecosystems. Our vision is to create a strong, collaborative network across Hinwil and the UK, driving innovation and performance."

Sauber will officially become the Audi works F1 team from 2026, when new engine regulations come into force. The German manufacturer has invested heavily to become one of the sport's power unit manufacturers, alongside established constructors Mercedes, Ferrari and Honda, while Red Bull will also be building their own engines for the first time through their link-up with Ford.