Here is a wild shift in the paddock: Audi Sport managing director Rolf Michl, who also held responsibility for motorsport, is reportedly set for a transfer to China. Rumours of this departure have circled for some time, and if everything goes according to plan, the move is happening this year, as Motorsport.com reports.
The 48-year-old Michl took over as head of both areas back on September 1, 2022, succeeding Julius Seebach after previously working as an Abt manager. But things changed quickly at the Volkswagen subsidiary. In fact, Michl is currently only serving as the Audi Sport managing director because the position of motorsport boss was actually abolished and left unfilled following the end of the Dakar programme at the beginning of 2024. That quiet abolition was never communicated publicly.
It happened during a brutal era of cutbacks. Under Michl, motorsport was steadily scaled back. The factory-supported GT3 outings with the Audi R8 LMS and the broader customer racing programme ended amid major debate and a great deal of displeasure among fans. Audi discontinued production of the mid-engined car and dissolved the driver roster at the end of 2023, leaving only the basic support for existing vehicles that the manufacturer is strictly obliged to provide.
The Dakar adventure was the final factory project under Michl's watch, finishing up after victory at the beginning of 2024. All of these sweeping cutbacks were driven by a massive pivot toward the complex Formula 1 entry slated for the 2026 season. That Formula 1 project was outsourced from the outset and never fell under Michl's remit. A separate company named Audi Formula Racing GmbH handles the powertrain under Mattia Binotto, and the racing team in Hinwil sees the Italian report directly to Audi boss Gernot Döllner.
Political shifts at the top also shaped the timeline. Michl's rise came when Markus Duesmann led Audi and Oliver Hoffmann headed technical development. Once Döllner took over as Audi boss in September 2023 and Hoffmann's tenure ended in February 2024, the whispers about Michl's imminent exit only grew louder.
Now, the future of Audi Sport GmbH hangs in the balance. Based in Neckarsulm, the sport division currently handles performance models, basic customer racing support, and the Racing Legends project launched in 2025, which sells legendary Audi racing cars from eras like the DTM and Le Mans prototypes to private customers. There are currently no indications that a new motorsport boss will be appointed, though a new managing director is needed since Michl has acted as the sole managing director of the performance division since Sebastian Grams departed at the end of 2023.
Before any of that settles, questions remain over what role Audi Sport GmbH will play moving forward, and whether a GT3 future might somehow return. After all, the Audi Nuvolari super sports car based on the Lamborghini Temerario was presented this year, and it could theoretically serve as the basis for a brand-new GT3 machine.
