Mattia Binotto launches Audi 2030 title plan after project ‘relief’

Audi is eying up a title challenge by 2030, and Mattia Binotto has opened up on the challenges his team is facing after initial “relief” about the strength of the project.

With three consecutive points finishes to round out the first half of the season, the former Sauber squad is unlocking the potential of its Audi R26 after a run of races in which points remained tantalisingly out of reach.

Mattia Binotto explains Audi’s Formula 1 title plan to 2030

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Leading the Audi F1 project is former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto, who joined the Hinwil-based squad in mid-2024 to oversee its preparations for the Audi takeover of the former Sauber squad, as well as using his expertise to maximise the potential of integration between the chassis department in Switzerland and the power unit project out of Germany’s Neuburg facility.

It’s been quite a positive start for Audi, with the R26 proving to be a car capable of racing in the upper midfield, vying with Alpine and Racing Bulls to be best of the rest behind the leading four teams.

But a key weakness has been identified: namely the power unit being down on power compared to others, but hope springs eternal for the squad as it has already been granted two ADUO updates for its power unit: one of which is believed to have already been cashed in with its update at the Barcelona Grand Prix.

Operationally, issues with race starts compromised good chances at points on occasion through the first half of the year, while misfortunes such as Nico Hulkenberg’s bizarre retirement in Spain, triggered by a stone hitting his engine kill switch, have also sapped Audi of more points.

It’s for that reason that Audi heads into the summer break in eighth place overall, despite having the fifth or sixth best package on the grid. But, despite this, Binotto has reflected with pride on the first half of the season.

“I think that it’s difficult to have expectations,” he said, starting off an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com at the Belgian Grand Prix.

With Sauber having propped up the rear of the field in recent years, signs of developmental progress became evident last year, and the Audi R26 chassis has proven to be one of the tidiest on the grid to start the new regulation cycle.

“I think it would have been wrong because of brand new regulations, a brand new team on our side, brand new manufacturer,” he said of his own expectations coming into the year.

“Where it would have been is difficult to say, so I think it has been a positive. This is a surprise and, in a way, it has been a relief.

“Yeah, it’s been a relief to be in such a position because to make it wrong in F1 can be pretty easy, as some teams have proved.

“So, simply not to be in the situation of some of those teams, for us, it’s great, because the fundamentals of the car are right, and it’s a relief because, again, you know that from there on, you can start building.

“Because if, instead, you had done it wrong, the amount of energy and budget gap that would have been required simply to address the problems would have been a big burden for our project.

“So I’m happy, not because I was expecting it, but because it’s good to know that fundamentals are right and we can build on our future.”

With Binotto’s background as a senior engineer and development lead for F1 engines, becoming Ferrari’s head of engine department in 2013, he quickly spotted that the Audi power unit would not be the standard-setter upon debut, but said what’s more important is getting the team structure in place that will solidify competitiveness in the future.

“When I joined the team two years ago, when looking at the engine project, clearly it was late compared to certain ambitions,” he said, explaining that the deficit had been expected coming into 2026.

“But, I think an engine takes time; engine knowledge takes time; developing engine technologies takes time, and for what has been, let me say, the Audi approach to F1, building on its own competences, it’s somehow normal to be where we are.

“So I don’t think we are late simply because we did wrong. I think we are simply behind and not late because we are starting from scratch, building on our own competence without buying competence in the F1 world, and I think that is great in a way that, long term, it will be a sustainable project once we catch up – we catch up with a solid base.”

Revitalising the former Sauber squad and factory into a state-of-the-art facility, such as those boasted by the likes of Ferrari, McLaren, and Aston Martin, is an ongoing project, and Binotto is one of those best-placed to evaluate the areas the Hinwil-based squad needs to prioritise if it is to close the resource and infrastructure gap to the very best.

“When you look at the gaps of what’s required to become champion in the end, it’s somehow you measure the difference between our team and the top team; the differences are in many areas and are huge: team size, skills, space, infrastructure, internal manufacturing capacity is very, very little, and some tools like a proper sim,” he said.

“So, in the end, it’s digital platforms. So it’s a lot of tasks that need to be done, and it’s a pure and true company transformation. It’s a business transformation required.

“We’ve set an objective of 2030, so our objective is to aim for a championship fight in 2030. It may seem very far away, very distant, but, as a matter of fact, if you look at the gaps I was mentioning, it will take a long time. Certainly, 2030 is coming very soon.

“It’s both chassis and power unit with different necessities, different gaps. But it’s a full business transformation for us, and we need to be patient. I think that’s the key.

“What are we missing? It’s time. What do we need? It’s time. In terms of how do we get all the resources to commit the focus, the ambition, the opportunity, but what’s required? It’s simply time.

“The objective is 2030, and we have a trajectory. The first trajectories and milestones are pretty clear. So we need to ensure that we are matching this trajectory.

“Most of the milestones are factory-based, not visible to the fans or to the media, so a lot of things are happening back at the factory. I look at how much we are doing.

“We are the team that is doing the most. I’m pretty sure of that. But it’s not visible, and sometimes it’s not turned into pure car performance at that race weekend.

“So what will be important for us is that, while whatever we are doing may not be easy to translate into car performance, we still need to have passion and manage expectations because we know how much is happening in the background for the future.

“So I think 2027 can be maybe a difficult season for us because everyone may expect progress compared to the current situation. I don’t know what it will be.

“Certainly, as a team, we try to do our best. But we are building our foundations for the future, and I think what we should judge is more on those foundations as they are developing, rather than a single race event dating if the result is positive or not.”

Part of the challenge for Binotto is ensuring effective synergy between the two factories at Hinwil and Neuburg, and he said he’s very pleased with the way the two have integrated.

“It’s progressing very well,” he said.

“It’s a clear team effort, but the people are really willing to integrate to be part of one team, feeling the soul of the one team, and I think that there is obviously a clear objective which is shared, to become champions one day, and we can see that that’s what’s most important.

“So the two teams and people are interacting very well, exchanging information, exchanging knowledge, exchanging experiences, supporting each other in the development of the projects.”

Having found a new home on the grid after splitting from Ferrari at the end of the 2022 season after 27 years with the Scuderia, Binotto said he’s savouring every day of his new career challenge.

“It’s a lot different nowadays,” he said of the personal enjoyment he’s getting from leading Audi.

“Before, it was for me 30 years as a family, as an Italian leading Ferrari; it’s certainly, from a background, emotion is certainly something very important.

“Here I’m enjoying the project itself, and it’s a new family. The project, in a way, is starting almost from scratch, trying to build a team, so it’s a different project, and I’m really enjoying it.”

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