Mattia Binotto, the head of Audi’s F1 project, discussed expectations for the upcoming 2026 F1 season and the ambitious goal of fighting for the Championship by 2030 during the team’s launch event in Berlin on Tuesday.
The event, streamed on the team’s YouTube channel, marked the first official F1 event for the German manufacturer and completed the transition from Sauber F1 to Audi F1 Team. Audi, which has celebrated great success in other racing categories, first announced its intention to enter the F1 Championship in 2026 in August 2022. In October of that year, Audi took its first step towards F1 by acquiring a stake in Sauber F1, paving the way for Audi to join the grid in the 2026 season.
2026 F1 season provides a “fascinating challenge” for Audi
Mattia Binotto, the former Ferrari team principal and now head of Audi’s F1 project, stated that the 2026 regulations present a “fascinating challenge.” However, the Italian believes Audi will face similar challenges in the future, but these also offer the opportunity for “new approaches.”
“2026 is brand new regulations, brand new chassis, brand new powertrain. And I think from the engineering point of view, it has been a fascinating challenge so far. It will be very fascinating as well ahead.
“And that’s all about Audi at the end. We are… Our speed is innovation.
“It’s our Vorsprung [German for advance/progress]. And I think that new challenge, that new technical regulation somehow gives us at least the opportunity of new approaches.”
Audi is targeting “milestones” to reach goal of fighting for Championships by 2030
Audi set an ambitious goal to fight for the F1 Championship by 2030, which they will attempt by reaching “milestones” from the 2026 season onwards. Binotto shared that the team has set realistic objectives for the 2026 F1 season and is not focusing on their placement in the Constructors’ Championship or on points scored in their first season on the grid.
“Obviously, as you said, first aiming to fight for a championship in 2030. And we will have milestones starting from 2026. And we have long discussed what should be the objective for 2026.
“Can we make it tangible? Should we look at our ranking in the Constructors’ around the championship? Should we look at how many points we’re scoring at the end of the season?
“But I think, as a first year for us, that would be the wrong approach.”
The head of Audi’s F1 project adds that the goal is for the team to “become competitive.”
“I think it’s for us to become competitive. We need to stay humble.”
Binotto: “Much to learn” for Audi F1 Team
Binotto reckons that there is “much to learn” for Audi when the team makes its F1 debut in Australia in March. The 56-year-old believes that through hard work, the team will accomplish its goals.
“There is much to learn. And for us, it’s more about the attitude. It’s being there, learning, continuously learning.
“And I think that’s really what we need to do. And becoming competitive means that somehow average is not an option anymore. And we know exactly where we need to go, what’s the journey.
“And it’s simply, again, working hard, getting there, and somehow becoming more and more serious as well for our competitors.”
