Audi’s announcement last Tuesday that it wants Mattia Binotto to become the new head and technical director of the Formula 1 team, replacing Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffman, came as a bombshell. But what were the reasons for this move?
Almost two years after Audi officially announced its entry into Formula 1, the smiles of that day seem like a distant past. The team, still racing under the Sauber badges, sit bottom of the constructors’ championship without a single point so far this season.
The situation has been made worse by the lack of progress since the Spa announcement as Audi prepares for its F1 debut. Despite intense efforts at the German powerhouse, track performance is not up to Audi standards.
Despite the enormous financial power of the new owners, the Hineville operation seems to have lost steam, raising doubts about what can be expected from Audi in 2026.
The team would like to have secured their number one target, Carlos Sainz, but the Spaniard’s preference to look at options at other teams such as Williams and Alpine shows Audi’s difficulty in attracting top drivers and staff.
Audi’s takeover of Sauber had no immediate impact, with former owner Finn Rausing still involved, making it difficult to finance further investment. This situation was likened to someone who sold his car and was asked to buy new tires for it.
Recognizing the difficulty of the situation, Audi moved to buy Sauber earlier this year, paving the way for improvements at Heeneville and the first hires, including Stefan Straehnz from Mercedes, who will become the new program director. Other additions include former Red Bull and McLaren engineer Stefano Sordo, as well as former Red Bull chief engineer Lee Stevenson.
Despite the improvements, the lack of competitiveness on the track caused concern at Audi, while Seidl’s focus was on preparations for 2026. There was also a power struggle between Seidl and Oliver Hoffmann, with Audi’s former head of development becoming last March president of all Sauber companies, adding complexity and delays to decisions.
Sources say that Seidl and Hoffmann refused to take responsibility for what needed to be done in the team and began to blame each other over who should take responsibility for the team’s lack of progress.
Audi, seeing that the situation was unsustainable, lost patience, fired them both and hired Mattia Binotto.
This decision is a significant change, putting an end to internal disputes. Binotto, with his Ferrari experience, is the new head of Audi’s F1 venture, tasked with getting the project back on track.
With his tenure starting on August 1, Binotto will need to move quickly to ensure Audi is in the best possible shape for 2026, trying to turn around the team’s disappointing performances so far.
Source: www.autoblog.gr
