Audi F1 recovery plan detailed as Mattia Binotto predicts F1 2026 engine ‘gap’

Mattia Binotto says an “intense” development programme is underway on the Audi F1 power unit, but despite their best efforts to speed up the progress, an F1 2026 deficit to rivals is expected.

A new generation of Formula 1 cars, powered by redesigned engines, will arrive in time for the F1 2026 campaign, at which point Audi will make their way onto the grid, taking over Sauber to create their works team, running their own power unit.

Audi F1 trying to speed up recovery process as ‘gap’ predicted

Audi’s first F1 power unit is in the works at their Neuburg facility, but while Binotto – who has taken over from Andreas Seidl as the new Audi F1 chief – said progress is coming along, his expectation is that they will hit the F1 2026 grid with a power unit down on performance compared to rivals.

An “intense” development programme is therefore underway as Audi F1 strive to recover and as quickly as possible, but only come F1 2026 will they know how big of a deficit they are dealing with.

Audi will join Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda and the newly-launched Red Bull Powertrains-Ford as the F1 2026 engine manufacturers.

“I’ve been visiting Neuburg in the last days and weeks,” said Binotto.

“The engine is progressing well, running on the dyno, some long distances so far already performed.

“But I think here as well, it’s a learning process. We are competing with other organisations where manufacturers are settled down, are very expert, got a fantastic background, experience from the past years. The regulation is changing, but certainly, all the experience you’ve done so far is pretty important and valid.

“So while I think the organisation there is great, the facilities are great, the programmes are going ahead, still there is a learning curve which needs to be done. So I’m expecting initially to have a gap to recover. How big it will be, I think that you can never know.

“That only by the time we will be on track that we can only understand. But we’ve got more than a year from now to then.

“There is an intense programme on the dynos in development and it will be our task to make sure that we can enforce it, speeding up as much as we can, but try to be as competitive as we can be at the start of 2026.”

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One manufacturer has already pulled the plug on their F1 2026 engine project, that being Renault, meaning their Alpine team must transition to customer status.

However, there is no threat of Audi following that path as well.

“It’s a huge task, but I think for Audi, it’s one of the most important ones, because being branded by our own power unit, that’s a key element of the project,” said Binotto.

“It’s a key element of our objectives, being not only a chassis winning a championship in Formula 1, but being a full manufacturer, chassis and power unit manufacturer.

“But we know that the task is huge. It’s a big investment.

“But, I think we’ve got the good people. I think there is all we need to do well and the full support. It will be down to us to earn the trust of the leaders.”

Binotto will later be joined by Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, who will become the first Audi F1 team principal ahead of their F1 2026 debut.

On the driver front, Nico Hulkenberg is already signed, but a decision is yet to be made on his team-mate for F1 2025 and into the Audi F1 era.

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