Despite being linked to multiple teams on the F1 grid, Mattia Binotto made his return to the paddock as Sauber’s (soon-to-be Audi) Chief Technical Officer two months ago. Soon after his arrival, he set out on a mission to try and poach Enrico Gualtieri from Ferrari.
Gualtieri—Technical Director of Power Units at Ferrari—is an old friend of Binotto’s from when they were together at the Maranello-based outfit. Motorsport reported, “Mattia Binotto made an offer to Enrico Gualtieri to bring him to Audi as soon as the Reggio Emilia native entered the four-ring team with full powers.”
Nughes: “The two are friends and respect each other, but Gualtieri has made a choice: he remains in Maranello where he was born and raised professionally because he believes in the 2026 engine project.”
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— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) August 24, 2024
Gualtieri worked closely with Binotto during the Turbo Hybrid era. During Binotto’s time as Ferrari’s Head of Engine Department, Gualtieri was the Head of Engine Design and Development. They worked together for over a decade until Fred Vasseur replaced Binotto in 2023.
However, despite the close relationship, Gualtieri rejected the Audi offer. He decided to continue with the 2026 Ferrari power unit project. “The Modena native has made a choice of the heart: he remains in Maranello where he was born and raised professionally because he believes in the 2026 engine project,” the report read.
Gualtieri’s experience and relationship with Binotto would have been a huge boost for the German outfit, which underestimated the F1 project and is now scrambling to find people who can get it back on track.
To date, the biggest name to have joined Audi’s technical team, aside from Binotto, has been Jonathan Wheatley.
Wheatley’s surprise move to Audi
Soon after Binotto’s appointment, Red Bull released a statement that revealed Wheatley would be joining the Italian at Audi as team principal. Wheatley had been a part of the Red Bull setup since 2005 and oversaw two dominant eras at the Milton-Keynes-based outfit.
The Austrian team is leading the championship in 2024 as well, which is why, his joining Audi – who is yet to enter F1 – raised several eyebrows.
BREAKING: Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley will leave the team to join the Audi F1 project pic.twitter.com/eKZErygPBt
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 1, 2024
Gernot Döllner, Audi’s CEO said in an interview, “With the appointment of Jonathan and Mattia we have taken a decisive step towards our entry into Formula 1. I am convinced that with the two of them, we have been able to combine an extremely high level of competence for Audi.”
Audi aims to succeed in F1 and not just stay afloat for the sake of it. For that, they need more big names to join Wheatley and Binotto in Hinwil.
