Harry Potter - The boss is pushing: Audi should come with Formula-1 speed
At a rainy day at the end of August 2022 in Spa-Francorchamps, Markus Duesmann was proud. Duesmann was then CEO of Audi and could proudly announce the Formula-1 entry of the Volkswagen daughter company for the 2026 season. Next to him, just as proud, was the then Audi Technical Board member Oliver Hoffmann. What a day August 26, 2022 was!
Almost two years later, not much remains of this snapshot from the proud Audi family album. Duesmann is long gone as CEO of Ingolstadt. And Hoffmann, who was last the power of attorney for the Formula-1 project, was also let go. Together with Andreas Seidl, the former commercial manager of the future Audi racing team, they were both dismissed and replaced by Mattia Binotto. And this just before the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.
A clean table in project work is hardly possible. More panic 1.5 years before the deadline on the asphalt cannot reflect personnel decisions. "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 takes over the chairmanship of the supervisory board at Sauber Motorsport AG. "The team must be able to act independently and quickly."
Döllner went even further. Kick Sauber, which is taken over 100% by Audi as a works team, is the only still pointless Formula-1 team this season. A reform logjam could not be described more clearly. Not surprising if it's supposed to be that way from 2026 on.
From two Audi Alphas, one Audi Alpha is born
Döllner wanted it both ways. Between Seidl, who had successfully moderated the turnaround at McLaren since 2019, and Hoffmann, there was reportedly a power struggle. Döllner decided for a clear cut and relieved both Audi Alphas of their duties.
The new man was compared to Harry Potter in the paddock due to his glasses. Binotto never liked that comparison, for he was too much of a head. The man with the bushy hair had joined Ferrari in 1995 and served Michael Schumacher in his Ferrari era as engine engineer. Later, Binotto rose to technical director, before he took over as team principal from Maurizio Arrivabene in early 2019 after a power struggle.
Binotto knows how ruthless the Formula-1 business can be. He had also felt that from Sebastian Vettel. In the Corona season 2020, Binotto served Vettel a pink slip on the phone at the end of the year. He had thought about it three times before deciding what and how to tell the German.
Binotto, who was previously responsible for the electromobility sector at a technology company, takes up his new job at Audi on August 1. "With his great experience from over 25 years in Formula 1, he will certainly make a decisive contribution to Audi," Döllner said.
Binotto has enough tasks. Kick Sauber must be restructured to allow Audi to give gas as a works team from 2026. And of course, a second driver besides the current Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg must also be found. Perhaps Carlos Sainz decides for Audi now. The Spaniard knows Binotto well, after all, he was the new Ferrari driver after Vettel was given the boot.
- Despite the rain in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, in August 2022, Markus Duesmann, then CEO of Audi, was proud to announce the company's Formula-1 entry for the 2026 season.
- Owing to personnel changes, only a faint echo of that day remains, as Duesmann and Hoffmann, who were instrumental in the announcement, are no longer with Audi.
- Mattia Binotto, who was compared to Harry Potter due to his glasses in the paddock, took over from them, joining Audi from Ferrari where he had served as team principal.
- Binotto's primary task at Audi is to restructure Kick Sauber, a Formula-1 team Audi acquired, to enable it to perform as a works team from the 2026 season.
- Born from two Audi Alphas, Binotto's leadership is expected to bring the Formula-1 project to F1-speed, with clear leadership structures, responsibilities, reduced interfaces, and efficient decision-making processes.
- Binotto's Formula-1 background and experience will be crucial in helping Audi achieve its goals, particularly in the highly competitive and ruthless world of Formula-1.
- From his time at Ferrari, Binotto is familiar with the challenges faced in the Formula-1 industry, having felt their impact as he let go of Sebastian Vettel in 2020.
- In the quest for a second driver alongside the current Haas driver, Nico Hülkenberg, binotto's relationship with Carlos Sainz, his former colleague at Ferrari, may prove valuable.
