Ex-Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan believes Audi faces “an uphill battle” to be competitive in the sport and has warned Carlos Sainz against betting on the project.
Sainz had aspirations of extending his Ferrari stay, but the Italian marque announced last week that it’s signed Lewis Hamilton to partner Charles Leclerc from next season.
Even before the revelation that he won’t continue with Ferrari beyond this year, Sainz has been linked with the Sauber side that will evolve into a works Audi entry in 2026.
The German marque will complete a takeover of the Hinwil-based squad and construct its own power unit in time for F1’s latest overhaul to the technical regulations.
But speaking on the Formula For Success podcast, Jordan highlighted the struggles previous manufacturers have endured to caution the Spaniard about his next move.
“Everyone thought that Toyota with all the money and with all the expertise and everything that they could do, and that Honda had pulled out, so therefore there was a clear path for them,” he said. “They were shocking, miserable. It was a real poor effort that Toyota did in Formula 1, and they scurried well out of it and they haven’t come back.
“The same, you could say, happened with BMW. I mean, [Robert] Kubica won a race, the quality of their engine at BMW is, for me, the best engine in the world, in terms of a road car basis, I just think it’s so strong and so good.
“But I would have thought that BMW and Toyota would come in with a huge bang. So therefore, you’re assuming that Audi are going to come back, just because they’ve won some various things in Le Mans and stuff like that.
“Now, I know, Allan McNish, who is a very close friend of yours [speaking to podcast co-host David Coulthard], we both love Allan and we wish him every success, whatever he’s doing there, and he is so smart, he will make sure that he has the right people around him.
“But I don’t care what anyone says, it’s a five-year plan to get Audi to even get close to winning a race, and I don’t care what driver they have in it.
“There’s a massive learning curve. I learned that, I realised how tough it was and I think that Audi, despite all the money that they’ve got, they have an uphill battle.”
Jordan also highlighted how it took Red Bull, the pre-eminent force in the sport today, five years from the Austrian company’s takeover of Jaguar in 2004 to begin winning races.
“Red Bull, let’s not forget, they had people like you there to help them along,” Jordan continued while addressing Coulthard, who ended his F1 career with Red Bull in 2008.
“They took over, if you like, the coals or the fire or the embryo of Jaguar, which was not a poor team, they were a strong team.
“Therefore, even them taking five years, and you know what money that Dietrich Mateschitz threw into that programme – and he acquired the best people.
“If you’re telling me Audi can come in and beat McLaren and come in and beat the likes of even Aston Martin perhaps, or Ferrari for that matter? Or anyone else? It’s going to be a big struggle.
“Look, it doesn’t happen that easy. I think there’s only six teams in the last 30 years that have won multiple Grands Prix, so that kind of makes it very concise, doesn’t it?
“It gives a big lead if you like to somebody like Red Bull and Ferrari and McLaren, Williams have to come back and who knows? They probably will come back.
“But you know, even when Prost came with the Peugeot originally and then afterwards with the Renault. I just think new teams on the way trying to compete against the existing teams, it’s a hard job.”
