There was initially a constant flurry of rumour and speculation surrounding Audi's actual plans for when they joined the world of Formula One in the next couple of years, taking on Swiss operation Sauber their works team from 2026 onwards.
In more recent times though, most of the speculation seems to have dried up and with very little of note (outside of the obvious preparation work that is not exactly what fans of the sport would call sexy media news) coming out, it seems an old rumour might be getting a new lease of life and it concerns former Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto, who is again being linked with a potential move to the new future motorsport contenders. To look at it from a slightly different angle, and to look at something totally different, horse racing cheltenham. I wonder what horse power they will be rated at for a start? And what would a horse achieve without a talented jockey, to stretch the point Binotto could be the exact jockey that Audi need to make the impact they crave.
This speculation is boosted by various claims that the 2026 F1 entry are said to be 'struggling' in their quest to attract the best engineering minds as their preparation work continues. Binotto is, of course, very well known within the world of racing, and following Ferrari's very disappointing steep decline from championship contenders to distant runners up to an ever improving Red Bull, he fell on his own sword and resigned at the end of last season, and has been a man in demand if the press are to be believed.
Former drivers Karun Chandhok and Christijan Albers also questioned Ferrari's sense in letting him walk away in the manner he did given his reputation and experience, and it is trite to think that Audi would not be willing suitors if an agreement could be struck with the 54 year old Swiss born Italian.
Audi were initially linked along with Alpine and McLaren and it had been previously claimed that Binotto had actually rejected the chance to join Audi after taking a tour of their Competence Center Motorsport in Neuburg, with a claim that he had described it as a 'clown' operation. This was quickly refuted by Audi, who stated with some authority that no such visit had even taken place to begin with.
“We can confirm that Mattia Binotto never visited the sports Competence Centre in Neuburg where our project is located.”
Binotto's gardening leave is now well and truly over, so it is probably no surprise to see his name back on the rumour mill, and other recent reports have claimed.
“Regarding the current level of engine engineers, Audi seems to be struggling more than their rivals. Some sources continue to report they are finding it difficult to acquire the best engineering minds. Mattia Binotto is undoubtedly one of Audi’s targets to fill this role. However, the former Ferrari team principal would also have several other options. Despite some uncertainties and the arrival of a new CEO, Gernot Doellner, the German company has no intention of giving up its entry. They intend to complete the acquisition of the Swiss company founded by Peter Sauber.”
Audi have already purchased a minority stake in Sauber to secure the deal, but that does sound like an eventual full take over, and it is not unfair to say that the continual noises coming out of the company do imply huge future ambitions, and whilst the short term aim might be to only make a positive instant impact, that is not where they are hoping to see themselves in the next few years and with 50 technical experts already brought on board, they are not stopping there either given a self announced 'aggressive recruitment campaign' and Binotto would not only fit that statement, he could easily convince a few others to sign on who are maybe currently harbouring some doubts right now.
CEO of Audi Formula Racing GmbH, Adam Baker, previously said: “Regarding recruitment, what we need to recognise is the Formula 1 project for Audi Sport here in Neuburg, it’s an important transformation project. This means we benefited from taking around 200 highly qualified staff over from within Audi Sport into Formula 1. So this is obviously a huge boost for our ramp-up phase. Here in the region, we also have access to literally 1,000s of tech experts who are involved in the automotive industry here working for Audi or for suppliers. But to ensure we will be competitive in 2026, we want to accelerate our learning phase as much as possible and part of that strategy is an aggressive recruitment programme. So far, we’ve contracted around 50 technical experts to join us here, including from some of our competitors.”
