The four-ring brand has announced Mattia Binotto as Head of the Audi F1 Project. The former Ferrari team principal returns to F1 after two years.
Audi has announced the appointment of Mattia Binotto, former Ferrari team principal, as the new head of the four-ring brand’s Formula 1 project. This suggests a significant managerial reorganization. In a statement released today, Audi confirmed that Binotto will join the team as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technical Officer starting August 1st, to lead efforts ahead of their 2026 debut.
However, his arrival coincides with the departure of Sauber CEO Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffmann, who had been chairman of the board. The two had already been active at Sauber, the team that will become Audi starting in 2026.
Audi’s CEO, Gernot Doellner, said:I am very pleased to have recruited Mattia Binotto for our ambitious Formula 1 project. With his extensive experience of over 25 years in Formula 1, he will undoubtedly make a decisive contribution to Audi .”
He added: “Our goal is to elevate the entire Formula 1 project to the required level through clear management structures, defined responsibilities, streamlined interfaces, and efficient decision-making processes. To achieve this, the team must be able to operate independently and swiftly .”
Binotto has been out of Formula 1 since he left Ferrari at the end of the 2022 season, after failing to win that year’s world championship. The Italian-Swiss had been with Ferrari since 1995, rising through the ranks to lead both the engine and chassis technical departments before becoming team principal in 2019.
Seidl joined Sauber at the beginning of 2023 as CEO of Audi’s F1 commitment, while Hoffmann was part of Audi’s organization that initially decided to enter Formula 1 before joining the Sauber team this year.
Speaking about their contribution, Doellner added: “I would like to thank Oliver and Andreas for their important work in launching our entry into Formula 1 and for their commitment to its preparation.”
Now all that remains is to see what the next season will bring with Binotto at the helm of Audi.
Foto of Formula 1