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Mattia Binotto Sounds the Alarm on Audi’s F1 Project: “A Team Frozen in Time”

Virgilio Machado by Virgilio Machado
December 21, 2024
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 4 mins read
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Mattia Binotto Sounds the Alarm on Audi’s F1 Project: “A Team Frozen in Time”

Formula One F1 - Qatar Grand Prix - Lusail International Circuit, Lusail, Qatar - November 29, 2024 Sauber chief technical officer Mattia Binotto before practice REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

Mattia Binotto has revealed his initial shock upon joining Audi’s faltering Formula 1 project, branding the team as being “almost frozen” in its development. The former Ferrari team principal, brought in to salvage Audi’s ambitious F1 debut in 2026, offered a sobering assessment of the team’s state upon his arrival, calling for urgent action to avoid further decline.


Audi’s Struggles Trigger a Leadership Overhaul

Audi’s bold entry into Formula 1 as a fully-fledged works team has hit multiple roadblocks, including a leadership crisis that saw Andreas Seidl and key executives ousted from the project. The German automaker, eyeing a midfield debut in 2026, turned to Binotto to reignite a program that had stagnated, finishing dead last in the 2024 Constructors’ Championship with just four points.

Upon joining in August 2024, Binotto was stunned by the lack of momentum within the team:

“When I joined in August, really, it was like a team that was almost frozen,” he admitted. “We needed to boost the team for improvement and ensure we had proper plans to become a top team in the future.”


Challenges at Hinwil: Personnel Crisis and Low Morale

Audi’s decision to ax its leadership mid-project had far-reaching consequences. The upheaval led to a wave of resignations, leaving the Hinwil-based team critically short of experienced talent. This mass exodus added to the already immense challenges of building a competitive team from the ground up.

Binotto, a veteran of Ferrari’s storied but high-pressure environment, acknowledged the magnitude of the task:

“Personnel started losing faith, and it became almost impossible to hire 350 F1 specialists from other countries. That’s why we need to rethink our strategy.”


The Binotto Blueprint: Betting on Young Talent

In the face of these challenges, Binotto has crafted a long-term strategy centered on cultivating young talent. Instead of competing with established teams for experienced engineers and technicians, Audi plans to recruit and train promising graduates.

“Our strategy will be to invest mainly in very young graduate talents. This is the best investment we can do for our future. In a couple of years, these young graduates will give us the best return on investment,” Binotto explained.

This approach reflects Binotto’s pragmatic view of the uphill battle Audi faces in the ultra-competitive F1 landscape. While the team aims to debut as a midfield contender, it will rely heavily on its evolving talent pool and an in-house power unit program to gain a foothold.


The Road Ahead: 2025 as a Proving Ground

Before Audi officially enters F1 in 2026, the Sauber team, which will transition into Audi’s works outfit, faces a crucial 2025 season. The team will feature an entirely new driver lineup, with young talents Theo Pourchaire and Frederik Vesti at the helm. Binotto hopes this pairing can deliver results that will inspire confidence in the team’s long-term trajectory.

While Binotto has injected a dose of reality into Audi’s F1 aspirations, his methodical approach and focus on long-term growth could be what the struggling project needs to gain momentum. However, with the clock ticking toward 2026, the question remains: Can Binotto and Audi transform a frozen team into a competitive force in just two years?


The Stakes for Audi and Binotto

As Audi’s 2026 debut looms, the pressure on Binotto to deliver is immense. The project represents not just a test of his leadership but a chance for Audi to prove its mettle in one of motorsport’s most challenging arenas. Failure would not only tarnish Audi’s reputation but also risk setting back its motorsport ambitions for years to come.

Whether Binotto’s strategy of investing in fresh talent and reshaping the team’s culture will pay off remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the road to 2026 will be anything but easy.

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