Mattia Binotto did not miss the opportunity to take a jab at his former employer Ferrari after the first points scored by Audi during its Formula 1 debut at the Australian Grand Prix.
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In Melbourne, Gabriel Bortoleto finished ninth, giving Audi its first points in its very first race since taking over Sauber’s entry for the 2026 season.
Asked by L’Équipe about the goal of making Audi as competitive as Ferrari, Binotto — who spent 28 years in Maranello, including two as team principal of the Scuderia — responded very directly: “Why would I do that? They haven’t won anything since 2008. I want Audi to win,” he declared with a laugh.
A reconstruction project at Audi
The Italian executive was also very frank about the state of the team he took over after the transition from Sauber to Audi: “Sauber was a small historic team with perhaps a slightly outdated infrastructure.”
He detailed several major shortcomings: lack of staff, skills, structured processes, space, resources, as well as insufficient technical facilities, notably a simulator and a wind tunnel to be modernized.
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Despite these difficulties, Binotto remains convinced that the Audi project can lead to the world title: “The goal is to become world champions one day. What do we need to do to achieve that? We make a list and we work on it — it’s as simple as that. “
A five-year plan
His program is based on a five-year plan: three seasons of construction and two years of consolidation. In total, no fewer than 57 structured projects have been defined, each with precise objectives and milestones.
Binotto also mentioned the cultural differences between Ferrari and the German-Swiss organization of Audi: “At Ferrari, there were not really processes: we just tested things. A plan was not necessary to succeed. Conversely, for Audi, with a more German and Swiss culture, plans are paramount. “
After an encouraging debut with points in the first race, Audi now hopes to transform this long-term project into a real title contender in the coming years. For this weekend in China, the two Audis have already comfortably cleared the SQ1 hurdle this Friday, Nico Hülkenberg missing out on the top 10 by only a few thousandths. Action on the rise!
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