Audi officially announced its entry in F1 from the 2026 season onwards. To fulfill their aim of becoming one of the best, they started looking for leaders to guide them, which is why the German automakers targeted to rope in former Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto. However, the Italian declined.
Audi invested over $200,000,000 into their F1 project and a new base in Germany. They had also recruited 300 personnel to spearhead their ambition of making a grand entry.
How cool is this Audi Formula 1 vehicle?! The vehicle was shown last year during the announcement that Audi would be joining F1 in 2026! pic.twitter.com/0ZYyUXw1HQ
— Audi Gwinnett (@RickCaseAudi) June 1, 2023
The team plans to lure drivers like Carlos Sainz to be the face of their F1 project. However, Binotto’s refusal puts them in a pickle.
Ferrari man Binotto rejects Audi’s offer
Binotto was sacked from his Ferrari job after a dismal 2022 campaign and was replaced by the incumbent Fred Vasseur. The Italian did not take a new job since leaving the Italian team, where he was an employee for 25 years.
Audi, however, wanted Binotto to be their F1 team principal when they entered the sport in 2026. According to Business F1, Binotto met with Audi’s executives and received a tour of their Neuberg base.
However, the Italian engineer was unimpressed, as the facilities were nowhere near as good as what Ferrari had in Maranello. Binotto even referred to Audi’s managers in Neuberg as “clowns” in his private messages, as per the report.
Binotto, being an F1 veteran, knows what is required to run a successful F1 team. But with the out-of-work Italian rejecting Audi’s offer, it remains unclear if the team is heading in the right direction.
Andreas Seidl roped in as Sauber Group CEO
While Mattia Binotto rejected Audi’s offer, former McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl trusted the team’s direction. The German engineer was appointed as the CEO of the Sauber group right before the start of the season.
Seidl had previously worked with the Swiss F1 team while it was known as BMW Sauber. He also worked with Porsche’s Le Man LMP1 cars, which is part of the Volkswagen group like Audi.
He will oversee the operations of the team and its merger with Audi and also lured in former McLaren boss James Key as the team’s technical director.
James Key is heading back to Sauber as Technical Director
He’ll link up with Andreas Seidl, with the pair last working together at McLaren#F1 pic.twitter.com/5krbIT0aG1
— George Dagless (@georgedagless) June 7, 2023
Audi will upgrade its 3,000-square-foot facility to develop a fully hybrid F1 drivetrain. They plan on testing their powertrains by the end of 2023 and focusing on increasing their workforce.
It is still early days to decide how Audi’s fate in F1 will swing. The team will enter F1 during a crucial period after a major regulation change in 2026. With a determined approach, the team could capitalize on the changes early and be as successful as their compatriots, Mercedes.
However, F1 has seen a lot of big-money teams sink in the past. Ford, Honda, Toyota, and BMW are former OEMs with limitless budgets. Still, they failed to secure consistent results in the sport.
