Mattia Binotto recently made headlines after agreeing to join Audi ahead of their imminent F1 entry. The Italian boss will work with the German team as the COO & CTO, after almost a two-year absence from F1. However, could he have made an earlier return to the sport after serving his gardening leave? With history in mind and a statement from Toto Wolff, he would’ve never joined Mercedes.
Perhaps overshadowed by their intense rivalry with Red Bull, Mercedes also locked horns with Ferrari. The two F1 giants last had a title battle in 2019 and it was particularly bad in the second half of the season.
Ferrari’s six consecutive pole positions sparked concerns about the legality of the Ferrari engine. This even pushed Mercedes engine chief, Andy Cowell to eventually quit.
However, an internal FIA investigation saw the Italian team drop performance drastically toward the end of 2019 and in 2020. But it was already too late and Mattia Binotto’s relations with Mercedes were damaged forever. Per The Race, Wolff confessed back then that the Italian engineer would never be associated with the Brackley outfit in any form.
Sauber have announced Mattia Binotto as their new Chief Operating and Chief Technical Officer pic.twitter.com/nBtmqtjwyv
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 23, 2024
Now, the two will lock horns once again to stamp their authority as the better German team on the grid. However, the rivalry won’t be renewed until at least before the 2026 season. It might take Audi a few years to catch up. Although, Binotto will try his best to make a strong start to life in F1 as the Audi boss.
Binotto’s Audi role and responsibilities
The 54-year-old F1 veteran assumed responsibilities at the Hinwil headquarters of Sauber on 1st August. The German automakers made room for Binotto by relieving former McLaren boss, Andreas Seidl of his duties.
CEO Gernot Dollner addressed the media explaining this restructuring. He said, “Our aim is to bring the entire Formula 1 project up to F1 speed by means of clear management structures, defined responsibilities, reduced interfaces, and efficient decision-making processes. For this purpose, the team must be able to act independently and quickly.”
This is exactly why Audi gave one man two extremely important roles in their F1 team. The idea is to be efficient with the decision-making to be ready in time for 2026. This gives Binotto a lot of power within the team, and his more than 25 years of experience might be the right path for the German automakers.
