Audi F1 downplay debut season in F1

Audi

Audi F1 downplay debut season in F1

Sauber become Audi in 2026

By Sheona Mountford.

Monday 22 December 2025 20:56

Audi’s Formula 1 project is being carefully managed, with chief operating officer Mattia Binotto outlining a realistic outlook ahead of the team’s entry into the championship in 2026.

After finalising a full takeover of Sauber in 2024, the German brand began reshaping the organisation. Key hires followed, including the appointment of former Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley as team principal, as Audi lays the groundwork for long-term competitiveness rather than immediate success.

Discussing the programme in an interview with Reuters, Binotto explained that the focus is currently on development at Audi’s Hinwil and Neuburg an der Donau bases. He also played down short-term expectations, confirming that the team’s true performance objectives are aimed toward the 2030 season rather than their first year on the grid.

"I think we need patience, we are still in that building phase," he said.

"I'm not expecting to have the best engine next year at all, but still it doesn't matter because we know that we have set our objectives for 2030.

Can Audi become a competitive force in F1?

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Binotto did remain confident about the path the team were on, however, and added: "I think, as a project, we are going in the right path, the right direction and some credibility. We are building some credibility.

"I can see the dynamic, how much the dynamic has changed."

"For the employees, that's pretty clear. We are expanding, we are investing in the long term. Those facts are bringing a lot of credibility towards the project for the employees. There is no doubt that Audi is fully committed.

"The investments that we are doing currently with Audi, all of them are long-term projects because they are investments that we will see the return on them, in terms of performance, maybe in three or four years' time."

F1 Audi Mattia Binotto