Binotto: Great to be back in F1, very happy with the new challenge
F1 NewsSaturday, 07 September 2024 at 12:10
Mattia Binotto was back in the Formula 1 paddock at Monza, but not wearing the red of Ferrari, where he once ruled the roost, but rather the green and black of the Sauber Stake F1 Team, where he is Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technical Officer.
54-year-old Binotto is tasked with morphing the Hinwill operation into what will be Audi's first foray into Formula 1. After his unsuccessful tenure as Ferrari boss, Binotto went under the radar for a couple of seasons but has emerged as the number one man to lead the VW-owned manufacturer's Formula 1 project beginning in 2026.
However, they are already in the process of taking over the Swiss headquarters of the team that Peter Sauber started back in 1993.
Notably, Binotto is already the second man in charge of the operation, and an Audi F1 car has yet to turn a wheel after Andrea Sedil was sent packing after setting up what is the German team's new F1 HQ.
As it stands, Sauber with Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou is the worst team on the grid this season, without a point scored in 16 GPs. In other words, Audi is starting their project from scratch, unlike Mercedes, for instance, whose Brawn GP operation had won a title before they painted the cars silver.
Speaking to F1.com, Binotto reflected on turning up at Monza not wearing the red of Ferrari, which he had done since 1995 until 2022 during his tenure with the Italian team and his rise through the ranks to Team Principal for four years.
The Sauber-Audi boss said of his return to the Temple of Speed with his new F1 team: “It’s very strange, I have to say, wearing a different shirt. It’s been a very long time off. To be back is great for me. I’m very happy with the new challenge.
Binotto: All my past life has been with Ferrari. 28 years is a long time.
"I started there as a graduate," recalled Binotto. "It has become my family, but now that is the past, coming back in the paddock wearing a new shirt. I’m looking ahead to the new challenge with a lot of enthusiasm and with a lot of boost and energy.
"It’s great to see faces, friends. It’s a lovely moment. You’re not here as a spectator; you’re here to lead a team, to lead a project. It’s fascinating. For me, it’s a great moment.”
Reflecting on losing his position as Ferrari team principal, arguably one of the 'hottest' jobs in sport, Binotto revealed: “The 18 months were very long and very difficult. The first days, the first weeks, the first months, especially because you’re used to working so hard, 120%. You knew what time you were staying in the morning and what time you finished in the evening.
“The work is your life. Stopping suddenly is not easy. You may cut the grass on the first day, do some shopping on the second, and then on the third you don’t know what to do. You need to somehow make your life busy."
And how did Binotto do this? “I have a passion for wine, so I could at least take care of that a bit more and spend more time with the family and do what I couldn’t do in the past because I was busy for F1. Certainly there have been important moments in those 18 months.
“But when you love this job, when it’s your passion and you’ve got it in the blood, you’re looking forward to being back because you need to live with it. It’s part of my life. After Ferrari, I think I would accept only a real challenge. Honestly, Audi was the only team I hoped to join, because of the challenge, because of the ambition, because it’s for Audi the very first time in F1."
Audi won everything from Le Mans through to Dakar and a whole lot in between
“I’m lucky they called me," admitted Binotto. "It had been very sudden. In a couple of days, we decided. It was simple. The opportunity was to be empowered for the entire project—full power—and that was what I was looking for. I’m so grateful and thankful for the offer, but as well very conscious of how much there is to do.”
F1 for Audi, the entire VW Group in fact—this is uncharted territory where glory outside F1 does not translate to the same in F1.
Binotto is under no illusions about the task at hand for Audi's venture: “We know how difficult it is to turn a normal team into a winning team and how long it will take. It’s a business transformation; it’s about people, processes, methodologies, skills, mindset, facilities—it’s about everything.
“If you look in the past at how long it takes for whatever team to become a winning team, it’s about seasons—it’s not a single season. It may take many years. We know how big the challenge is. We are very ambitious. The team back at the factory is fascinated and has plenty of energy.
"All for one—we want to make it. We need to be aware of how difficult it is and how big the step is. The gap is very big for a winning team. But we have the resources, we have the support from Audi, and I think we have all we need to achieve it.”
Sauber morphing to Audi is a culture change.
The first steps under Binotto's watch are: “Something we’re tackling is merging the mindset of Sauber to the new one of Audi. It’s merging Hinwil on the chassis to one of the power trains in Neuberg. We need to become a unique family, a unique team, but with the right mindset and culture with a winning mentality.
“You can only know a winning mentality if you have experienced it. It’s about never being satisfied. When you are winning, it’s not good enough. It’s about raising the ambition. There is much to do in that aspect. It’s not about the car itself. It’s about people, culture, mindset, organisation, process, and facilities."
“Culture is maybe the most important one—which we are working on. We have to become Audi. We are not yet Audi. We have to become Audi with our own culture and mindset. It has to be a winning mindset. I’m very happy to be part of that opportunity. I have plenty of energy, and I feel the entire team is boosted.
“We need to look at the organisation and be as modern as we can in order to be best. Joining Audi, I’m aware there is so much to do back at the factory in order to grow a team and not be distracted by the race’s activity.
“It was not my intention to be present at all races. I do not believe modern F1 should have a responsibility of the project who is always present at races," he added.
Welcome to the Audi project. Mr. Jonathan Wheatley
Binotto will have Red Bull stalwart and F1 strategy guru Jonathan Wheatley in his corner, which should be an instant asset to the team. “To have someone like Jonathan—we know how good he is, his past experience - he is great. [Jonathan] being fully responsible for racing activities, being Team Principal for me was important because splitting responsibilities, looking at all the tasks we have ahead, we believe that is the best way to organise.”
How long will it take for Audi to be a winning force in F1? Binotto reckoned: “It’s something we are debating internally to make sure we are setting the right goals and objectives, but if you look at the past experience in F1 and all the winning team opening cycles, it took at least five to seven years to set it up.
“You may simply say 24 plus seven is 2031. At least not before 2030, I would say. And that’s for teams who were already quite competitive. Here we are starting from one step behind with a power unit, which is really starting from scratch. We know how huge the task is.
“I have plenty of support—that’s the most important. It’s great for me. I’m thankful because whatever is required, they are there to support us. They have full trust in us. It’s down to us to prove we are capable," declared Binotto.
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