Binotto: Audi won’t be successful until 2030

Mattia Binotto’s career break lasted more than a year and a half, but at Monza he made his first appearance in the paddock as head of Sauber Motorsport AG. Let’s not forget that before that he spent almost three decades at Ferrari, where he worked his way up from trainee to technical director and team leader.

“I have to admit that it is very strange for me to wear a uniform of a different colour,” Binotto said in an interview with the championship’s official website. “It is great to be back in the paddock and I am very happy to take on a new challenge.

My whole previous life was linked to Ferrari – 28 years is a lot. I started as a trainee and the Scuderia became my family, but that is all in the past now. I am returning to the paddock, after trying a uniform in a different colour, and I am taking on a new challenging project with great enthusiasm.

I am very happy to see familiar faces, to meet old friends, and this is a very pleasant moment. I am not here as a spectator – I am leading a team, a whole project. This is very exciting, it is a very interesting time for me.

These 18 months were long and very difficult. Especially the first weeks and months were difficult because I was used to a busy work schedule and always gave 120%. Work is my life, and suddenly stopping was not easy.

The first day I could mow the lawn, the second day I could go shopping, but the third day I didn’t know what to do. I have long had a passion for making wine, and at least I would be able to devote more attention to my vineyards, and spend more time with my family, ie to do something I couldn’t do before because I was too busy with F1.

Of course there were some important moments in these 18 months, but when you are passionate about your job you want to get back to it as soon as possible. But I think after Ferrari I would only want to take on really difficult work.

To be honest, the Audi factory team was the only project I was hoping to be involved in – because it is a real challenge, a very ambitious project, and also because Audi decided to come to Formula 1 for the first time.

I was lucky that they turned to me, although everything happened very unexpectedly. But we agreed on everything in a few days. I got the chance to lead this whole project, to receive all the powers – that’s what interested me. And I am very grateful that I received such an offer, although I understand very well how much remains to be done.

Audi management also understands how difficult it is to turn an ordinary team into a champion, and how much time it will take. The entire company needs to be radically reformed – this applies to the staff and the level of professional skills, all processes and methods, mentality and infrastructure. In short, everything.

This work is not for one season – it will take years, but we are very ambitious people and understand the complexity of the task. The team at the Khinvil base is in a fighting spirit; everyone is inspired and full of energy. Everyone wants to succeed, despite the fact that the backlog is very large. But we have the necessary resources, we have the support of Audi, and I think everyone feels the need to achieve results.

“We have to be honest and not hide from reality. In Zandvoort our cars finished in the last two places – this is exactly the level we are starting from. At the same time, we understand that the most difficult thing is to regain those last few tenths. In general, it is possible that we can increase our competitiveness a little in the coming seasons, but the task is to become the best.”

Audi specialists are busy creating their own power plant, and Binotto has already visited the company’s engine building center in Neuburg and appreciates what he saw. Having worked at Ferrari, including engines, he has extensive experience in this area, so he is not inclined to underestimate the complexity of the task. But in 2026, Formula 1 will switch to new technical regulations, and this will to some extent level the playing field for all competitors in the championship.

“The transition to the new regulations means that everyone has to start from scratch,” Binotto continues. – I went straight to Neuburg and made sure that the infrastructure there was at an incredibly high level, and there were excellent specialists working there. However, they have no experience in Formula 1. You can’t get that in a few weeks, it’s a long and continuous process that involves constant modernisation, but we have support and, in general, everything that is needed for that.

What we are doing now is trying to integrate the Sauber mentality with the new Audi approach. We need to integrate Hinwil, where the chassis is built, with the processes that take place in Neuburg, where the power plant is developed. We need to become a unique team that still needs to develop the right mentality and culture, and it needs to be a winning mentality.

What kind of attitude this is, only those who have already experienced the joy of victory know. However, the main thing here is a constant feeling of dissatisfaction. If you win, that’s not all: it is important to constantly increase your level of ambition. And it’s not just about building a car; it is important that everyone has the same mentality, a common culture, and all people should be involved in this process.

Common culture is probably the most important factor, and we are already creating it. We have to become an Audi factory team with a special culture and mentality.

Now that I work at Audi, I am very aware that I now have a lot of work at the team base, so I don’t want to be distracted by race stuff. I won’t be attending all the races – it seems to me that in modern Formula 1 this is not necessary for the project manager.

But now we have Jonathan Whitley in the team and we know how good he is. He will be fully responsible for the work of the racing team and take on the position of team leader, as I consider the division of powers to be an important factor.

Now we discuss our tasks and objectives behind closed doors, because they have to be defined correctly. But if we remember the historical experience of Formula 1, the initial cycle for all championship teams lasted five to seven years before they reached the desired level.

The easiest way is to add seven years to 2024 and get 2031. I would say that we will have success in 2030 at the earliest. Moreover, this is for teams that were quite competitive before. And we are starting from a step behind in the power plant area, where everything really had to be read from scratch.

In general, we understand the enormous complexity of the tasks ahead of us. But Audi trusts us completely and it is our job to prove that we are capable of solving these problems.”