With Audi looking to make their name in F1 from 2026, the team is looking to hire some key personnel that can make an impact in the long run. This has brought ex-Ferrari boss Matti Binotto back into the spotlight as he emerges as a top candidate for Audi.
Mattia Binotto was the team boss at Ferrari from the 2019 season until the 2022 season. During this time, he managed to take Ferrari from a podium contender to a backfield car. Although he did bring back Ferrari’s performance in 2022, they were not able to win the Championship as reliability became an issue with the engine.
Mattia has been with Ferrari throughout his entire career. He joined the team in 1995 and has successfully helped the team through the 2000s. Although he was not successful as a team boss, he saw a lot of success in the engine department. When Michael Schumacher was dominating the sport with Ferrari, Mattia Binotto played a huge part in developing the engine.
🚨 | Mattia Binotto is a key target for Audi F1.
They need top personnel for their engine department.
As it stands, Audi is behind on their 2026 engines. Mercedes are ahead of the pack:https://t.co/jAmTS7u1kn
— formularacers (@formularacers_) November 7, 2023
As a result of that Audi is looking to hire Mattia to work on the engine and not to become the team boss. The current CEO for Sauber Racing is Andrea Stella who was the team boss for McLaren prior to this.
Since Stella is the CEO, he cannot be the team principal as well. He has appointed Alessandro Alunni Bravi to replace Fred Vaasseur who went to Ferrari this season. If Alessandro is performing well as the team principal, he will be retained by Audi to continue as the team principal.
Can Mattia Binotto replicate Ferrari’s success with opportunistic Audi?
Seeing that Mattia Binotto is a good engineer, could he repeat what he did with Ferrari in the 2000s to help Audi win the Championship? Audi made headlines when they announced their entry into the sport. They will be looking to make even bigger headlines in their debut season as they try to challenge for the Championship right away. The team has already signed Neel Jani to help the team develop the car.
The team will also be designing and manufacturing their own power units. So this will play a huge role in the car’s performance. We have seen a lot of teams lose races and Championships because of poor engines. A recent example of this would be Ferrari in 2022. If their engine was reliable, the team would have been able to continue winning races and eventually the Championship. With Mattia Binotto’s help, Audi will be hoping to get a headstart on the development of their powertrain.
📷 | An old picture of the boss, Mattia Binotto, with the 🐐 Michael Schumacher 😍#essereFerrari 🔴🐎 pic.twitter.com/gKjhpe3XIV
— Ferrari News 🐎 (@FanaticsFerrari) April 1, 2022
When he was promoted to team boss in Ferrari, Mattia Binotto received a lot of negative comments from the media and the fans. This eventually led to him stepping down from the position. If he is able to help Audi develop the engine, it will be redemption for the Italian. However, if he is unable to do so, Audi will be pressured by the media to let him go.
Do you think Mattia Binotto will be able to find success with Audi? Post your answers in the comment section below.