Nov.1 (GMM) Peter Sauber has admitted he was stunned by Audi’s decision to part ways with Beat Zehnder after 39 years with the Hinwil operation.
Audi announced in Mexico that Zehnder will leave at the end of December as part of a restructuring ahead of 2027.
But for team founder Peter Sauber, who first brought Zehnder into the operation in 1988, the decision came out of nowhere.
“For me, the news was not only surprising, no, it was completely unexpected,” the 83-year-old Swiss told Blick newspaper.
He declined to comment further on what the Swiss newspaper described as Zehnder’s apparent dismissal.
Blick veteran Roger Benoit was also sharply critical of the way Audi handled the announcement.
“In a press release lacking in style,” he wrote.
“Normally, the victim would have a chance to speak in such a situation.”
Benoit pointed out that Zehnder had been far more than just a long-serving employee, describing him as “a kind of father, even a friend” to many inside the team.
He also recalled that during one of Sauber’s financially difficult periods, Zehnder even paid the team’s hotel bill himself.
“Even though Beat Zehnder has wanted to slow down for years due to health problems, he didn’t deserve such a bare announcement without any words of his own,” Benoit concluded.