Mattia Binotto believes that Audi can start fighting for the Formula 1 title by 2030, but admits that is a “very ambitious” target.
Audi is set to transform Sauber into its works team effort for the 2026 season and the German marque has an uphill task making the Hinwil-based outfit successful.
Dissatisfied with the progress being made since it committed to a Sauber takeover in 2022, Audi replaced Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffmann with Binotto last year, appointing him as COO and CTO of the F1 project.
Sauber finished last in the 2024 Constructors’ standings, scoring a paltry four points from 24 events and Binotto has acknowledged turning Audi into a race-winning, title-clinching team will take time, money and resources.
“As you can imagine, just building, maybe a new facility, it takes three years to attract people, and good people,” the ex-Ferrari Team Principal explained to Autosport.
“You need to offer them a good environment in which to work and to live.
“So maybe it’s only in three years’ time we can reach our objective of fighting for wins, and let me say the title by 2030. That’s still very ambitious, very challenging. But that is how long it will take.”
Such is the long-term vision for race victories, Binotto has all but ruled out 2025 being a successful campaign for Sauber.
“So can we be successful next season? Not at all,” he said.
“Can we be in a couple of years? Not at all, because we will not have the people in place, we will not have the facilities in place and all the tools required.”
Instead, Binotto has tasked Sauber with improving upon 2024 this year and to continue making positive steps as the Audi works team.
“So what can be [the target] in the meantime? It’s improving, improving each single season, as simple as that,” he opined.
“You cannot simply wait until 2030 to be the best or being a benchmark,” Binotto continued.
“You need to go step by step, to climb the mountain to being in the top ranking.
“For us, it will be important, I think, [in 2025], to do better than what has been 2024, and the following year as well.”
Audi prepared to be patient in F1
Audi, one of the biggest automotive brands on the planet has a long history of success in other motorsport disciplines.
As a result, the German marque will want to match that success in F1, but Audi CEO Gernot Döllner is prepared to be patient.
“It’s managing expectations,” said Binotto.
“But they [Audi] not only understand, but they also agree – which is the most important.
“But I know how difficult it is still managing expectations for the journey, because when we will have the Four Rings branding on the car, and if they are not fast enough, certainly, the pressure will rise.”
Binotto has made it clear that Audi needs to invest to ensure success in F1 and that expectation was met with a savvy business move towards the end of the 2024 campaign when it was announced the Qatar Investment Authority would purchase a stake in the project.
That brings flexibility to Audi’s F1 business model and no doubt provides the financial underpinning for Binotto to execute his long-term vision at F1.
The ex-Ferrari boss knows what it takes to win in F1 and likens his 2030 title target to “A Northern star.
“It’s a clear vision,” the Italian added.
“We know what we need to get there, and I often take climbing a mountain as a reference.
“We need to get to the top, and we are at the moment really trying to trace our way on how to find it.
“We know it could be long. We know that it will be even difficult, it will be exhausting.
“But if having the clear vision and managing the expectations is the most important today.
“Then it will be about having the right resources to do that. And I think the F1 project has assessed well how long it will take and how much it will require,” he concluded.
READ MORE – Mattia Binotto joined ‘frozen’ Sauber team ahead of Audi F1 transition
