Exit of team boss reveals Audi's Formula-1 panic
With great ambitions, Audi enters Formula 1 - but the future Audi racing team trails behind in this season. The German car manufacturer is taking drastic measures and is relying on the decider who once put Sebastian Vettel before the door at Ferrari.
On a rainy day at the end of August 2022 in Spa-Francorchamps, Markus Duesmann was mega proud. Duesmann was then the CEO of Audi and could proudly announce the Formula-1 entry of the Volkswagen daughter company for the 2026 season. Standing next to him, just as proud, was the then Audi Technology Director Oliver Hoffmann. What a day that was!
Just two years later, not much remains of this proud snapshot from the Audi family album. Duesmann is long gone as CEO of Ingolstadt, and Hoffmann, who was the last General Representative for the Formula-1 project, was also dismissed. Both were replaced by Mattia Binotto and Andreas Seidl, the former McLaren team boss, just before the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps.
"Our goal is to bring the entire Formula-1 project to F1-speed through clear leadership structures, clear responsibilities, reduced interfaces, and efficient decision-making processes," explained Audi boss Gernot Döllner, who also took over the chairmanship of the Sauber Motorsport AG supervisory board. "The team must be able to act independently and quickly."
Mattia Binotto, the Brain
Döllner went one step further, as Kick Sauber, which is taken over 100% by Audi as a works team, is the only pointless Formula-1 team this season. A clearer restructuring could hardly be described. Not surprising that it should be the same from 2026 on.
On the other hand, Döllner also wanted to be more decisive. There was supposedly a power struggle between Seidl and Hoffmann. Döllner decided on a clear cut and relieved both Audi alphas of their duties.
The new man came from the pit lane and was compared to Harry Potter due to his glasses by some in the driver's circle. Binotto never liked that comparison, as the Italian born in Switzerland was too much of a brain. Binotto joined Ferrari in 1995 and served Michael Schumacher during his Ferrari era as a engine engineer. Later, Binotto rose to become the Technical Director, before he replaced Maurizio Arrivabene as team principal in early 2019 following a power struggle.
Second driver still uncertain
Binotto knows how ruthless the Formula-1 business can be. He has also felt that with Sebastian Vettel. In the Corona season 2020, Binotto served Vettel a pink slip over the phone at the end of the year. Binotto went through the process three times in his mind before deciding what and how to tell the German.
Binotto, who was recently responsible for a technology company in the area of electric drive, takes up his new job at Audi on August 1st. "With his great experience from over 25 years in Formula 1, he will certainly make a decisive contribution to Audi," Döllner said.
Assignments is enough for Binotto. Sauber must be restructured as a team so that Audi can become a works team for Gas starting from 2026. And then, of course, a second driver besides the current Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg must be found. Perhaps Carlos Sainz decides on Audi in the end. The Spaniard knows Binotto well, as he was the one who became the new Ferrari driver after Vettel received a demotion.
The ambitious entrance of Audi into Formula 1 with plans for the 2026 season, despite trailing in the current season, has led to significant changes. Audi has brought in Mattia Binotto, who gained acclaim for his work with Ferrari, to spearhead the project and bring the team to Formula-1 speed.
Binotto's expertise and extensive experience in Formula 1, spanning over 25 years, are highly valued by Audi as they aim to transform the Sauber Motorsport AG team into a works team for Gas starting from 2026.
