Sauber boss Jonathan Wheatley praised Mattia Binotto’s role in helping revitalise the team’s place in Formula 1‘s midfield fight prior to its transition to Audi next season.
The Italian arrived at the Swiss squad midway through 2024 as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technical Officer, tasked with overseeing its impending switch to Audi.
Wheatley, who left Red Bull last year, followed soon after, and the team has gradually seen itself go from backmarkers earlier this year to firmly in the middle of the pack.
Both veteran Nico Hulkenberg and rookie star Gabriel Bortoleto have benefited from the gradual improvements of the C45, and, between them, have amassed 60 points.
Despite languishing second bottom in the Constructors’ Championship, Sauber lies 12 points from sixth-placed Racing Bulls, underlining how tight the midfield group is.
Speaking ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix, Wheatley was asked what work has gone into its 2025 rejuvenation, and he placed much of it down to the ex-Ferrari boss.
“Well, let’s not forget Mattia Binotto just for a second,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“He’s been at the team for nearly a year now, and he started putting in place what you can see appearing at the track now.”
Wheatley puts Sauber improvements down to ‘simple little things’
Wheatley arrived after the season started, with Binotto taking temporary control on the pit wall, but in the time since, the pair have worked well together to ensure both Hulkenberg and Bortoleto have been afforded the machinery to prove their worth in points-scoring positions.
The Briton, who had long been Red Bull’s Sporting Director, explained that a myriad of very small adjustments within the structure of the team have paid dividends.
“Putting in the right technical management structures, transformation in the company. In many ways, my first six months, I’ve been playing catch-up,” he revealed.
“There’s a lot to do in a Formula 1 team. There’s a lot to do as a Team Principal.
“But it was clear from the beginning there were some simple little things we could do in terms of changing communications, the way we arrive at some of our decision-making maybe as well.
“But now we’re getting into the nitty gritty of how do we put the structure in place to be a truly competitive, top-flight Formula 1 team.”
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