Audi has appointed Mattia Binotto as the Chief Operating and Chief Technical Officer of its F1 project. This is a massive structural shake-up in the Audi setup with current heads Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffmann leaving. Binotto, who has been out of the sport since his Ferrari exit at the end of 2022, will be leading Audi’s F1 project and will start in August this year. Given the former Ferrari boss has a great rapport with Carlos Sainz, he could influence the Spaniard to choose Audi for his future.
Sainz has been waiting to choose the correct team with a good future for 2025 since the start of this season. Meanwhile, Audi has been chasing the Spaniard even before Ferrari decided to replace him.
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Binotto has had an affinity towards Sainz ever since he signed him in 2020 to replace Sebastian Vettel for 2021. During the Italian’s two seasons working with Sainz at Ferrari, there were reports of him having a bias towards the #55 driver.
In 2022, Binotto had a falling out with Charles Leclerc in Silverstone, which was also perceived as the Italian being biased toward the Spaniard. Apparently, that was the weekend when Sainz won his maiden Grand Prix due to a safety car pitstop call which compromised Leclerc’s chances of winning.
Even at the 2022 Brazilian GP, the Monegasque did not get a priority to step on the podium, as Ferrari ordered him to hold position in fourth behind Sainz. However, keeping these speculative instances aside, the familiarity of working with Binotto at Ferrari may just be enough for Sainz to choose Audi.
How can Binotto help Audi convince Sainz?
Audi‘s quest for signing Sainz has lasted the longest among all the teams currently wanting him. Apart from the German brand, the #55 driver has had interest from Williams, Alpine, Mercedes, and even Red Bull at some point.
Sainz has been delaying his decision as he wishes to sign for a team that can provide him with a competitive car as soon as possible. Currently, he is winning races and getting podiums at Ferrari. Meanwhile, Sauber [which will morph into Audi] has not even scored a single point this season.
So, Sainz will take a huge step back if he buys into the Audi project. Many experts have suggested that it could be a suicidal decision for the 29-year-old, as Audi will take time to deliver a competitive F1 package — perhaps two to three years after 2026.
However, Binotto’s technical prowess can help Audi convince Sainz that they will hit the ground running in terms of competitiveness in 2026. If that were to happen, Binotto will have to start his work as soon as possible to lift Sauber out of the doldrums.
If he can make them a regular points scorer by the end of this season to show a positive trajectory for 2025 and 2026, Sainz may reconsider Audi’s offer.
