Binotto’s Sauber debut
Exactly one month after his official arrival as head of Audi’s Formula 1 program, Mattia Binotto made its first appearance in the Sauber uniform over the Italian GP weekend. The Swiss team’s shares were recently purchased by the House of the Rings, but they took control of operations already in the 2023 season, when the team was still sponsored by Alfa Romeo. Fans who believed Ingolstadt was capable of restructuring the team and relaunching the performance of the single-seater well before the debut of the Audi power unit scheduled for 2026, were disappointed. They are not the only ones: even the former Ferrari team principal called Sauber’s current performances “unacceptable”.
Audi F1 boss speaks
In a media meeting organized on Sunday morning in Monza, Binotto addressed the issue of the team’s poor growth, which in 2024 is the only one not to have collected even one point in 16 GPs.We can’t afford something like this – explained the engineer from Reggio, quoted by Motorsport – because this is a team that, in the future, should become a winner. And the only way to do that is to start climbing, making progress. We have to train our muscles for the challenges of the future. So yes, we absolutely have to improve. It’s important for ourselves, it’s important for the whole team, for the brand, for the partners. The current position is simply unacceptable”.
Sauber, the recipe for improvement
It is therefore wrong to think that Audi is only focusing on 2026, neglecting the present: showing signs of growth on the track can help the team’s morale, but also be a driving force for the arrival of new sponsors and for the satisfaction of the staff who work on the track and in the factory: “We need to put resources into improving the team, better balance the priorities between our commitment in the short, medium and long term. I certainly don’t think our current position is comfortable. On the contrary, it is very painful to be in these conditions. We must improve because the foundations of a winning team are not built in a single day.. When will we start doing this? I would say as soon as possible. There are great people in the team and we now have very clear intentions and goals. There is still a lot to do in terms of tools, processes, methodologies and structures.”.
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