Binotto and Audi
Last July 24th the Audi has made official the arrival of Mattia Binotto in the dual role of operational and technical manager of the F1 project. Over the weekend in Monza, the engineer from Reggio Emilia was seen in the Sauber pits and gave an interesting interview to Sky Germany in which he spoke both about his arrival and the choice of driver to partner Nico Hulkenberg.
The choice
“I was out for 18 months, a very long time, longer than my gardening“, explained Binotto, who added: “I was waiting for a great opportunity. Audi was the only team I was hoping to join for a project like this. For me it’s the most fascinating challenge“In recent months, Binotto had been approached by Red Bull Powertrain and also by Aston Martin, but he preferred to wait, to focus on a solid, long-term commitment in which he could truly have a central role.
The 2025 pilots
The choice of Nico Hulkenberg It had been made well before Binotto’s arrival, but the former Ferrari driver has great respect for the expert German driver: “We all know Nico, he is a very fast and consistent driver. Very good in qualifying. I think he is really happy with our project and that he wants to stay with us for a long time”.
For the second guideBinotto has not yet chosen. 2025 should still be a difficult year for the team and therefore there is no rush to make the second name official. It is no mystery that Valtteri Bottas is the favorite – and it would be a reconfirmation – but several drivers have been linked to Audi, such as Bortoleto, Mick Schumacher and even Sebastian Vettel.
Binotto did not shy away: “Vettel? I love him, having worked with him in the past. Knowing him, you can appreciate his greatness as a person rather than as a pilot. I haven’t decided yet at the momentit will take a couple of weeks. I want to look around and make the right choice, not just in the short term. Mick Schumacher? He’s on our listlike other pilots. We are in no hurry, we will decide before the end of September”.
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