Mattia Binotto gives stern reality check to Audi’s ‘frozen’ F1 project

Mattia Binotto revealed his immediate reaction on joining the dwindling Audi project, and asserted no developments were being made.

Mattia Binotto gives stern reality check to Audi’s ‘frozen’ F1 project

Mattia Binotto and Audi's F1 showcar (images via IMAGO)

Audi was unhappy with the state of its soon-to-be F1 team Sauber under the leadership of Andreas Seidl. This led to the German giant conducting a mass exodus of the project’s leadership. Subsequently, this paved the way for former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto a way back to the grid but gave Audi a severe reality check when he joined the project on day one.

Mattia Binotto was held accountable by fans for the reason behind Ferrari‘s failure in 2022. This led to his sacking in favor of Fred Vasseur, who has been heading the Maranello-based outfit since 2023. Consequently, Binotto’s future in F1 was deemed to be over as he lived his life on the sidelines.

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On the other hand, witnessing staggered progress of its F1 project, Audi axed Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffman. Furthermore, the German giant laid their faith in the 55-year-old to revive the massive project.

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This was a new task for Binotto. He only had the experience of heading a historically successful outfit and had no expertise in bringing a team back from their coffin. Moreover, his first impression of the Sauber outfit was not great, leading him to give Audi a stern reality check.

When I joined in August, really, it was like a team that was almost frozen. So while making sure that we had the proper plans in our journey to become a top team in the future, we really needed to boost the team for improvement and possibly already during the current season.

Mattia Binotto said (via Autosport)

Despite this, Audi is still aiming to make it to the grid as a midfield team in 2026 with its own engine. Though the team finished last in 2024 with only four points accredited to its name, revealing the severity of the urgency.

Mattia Binotto lays down the plan to alleviate the shortage of personnel

With senior figures being axed mid-way through the project, personnel started losing faith in Audi. Subsequently, this led to multiple people leaving the Hinwill-based team leading to a shortage of skillful people within the team.

Mattia Binotto
Mattia Binotto, image via F1 Oversteer

Regardless of this, the 55-year-old has prepared up a plan to cover up this shortage. He is betting on young graduates and investing in human resources long time to save the day project from collapsing.

But how can we hire 350 people from other countries who are F1 specialists? Almost impossible. That’s why our strategy will be to invest mainly on very young graduate talents. The reason why is because I am pretty convinced that it is the best investment we can do for our future. The Audi journey is a long-term journey, and I’m pretty sure that in a couple of years, the young graduates today will give us our best return on investments.

Mattia Binotto said (via Autosport)

On the other hand, Sauber would have an entirely new lineup for the 2025 season with Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. So, the Swiss team would be hoping to leave a mark on the grid with the promising pair before becoming Audi in 2026.