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Audi finally speeds up F1 project: Is it on time or too late already?
- Ludo van Denderen
Not so long ago, there were the rumours. 'Audi would like to abandon the F1 project after all', was written in German-language media. Time and again, the manufacturer did not know how quickly to disprove this, always adding that Audi will really make their entrance in 2026. Yet the doubts persisted, but after last week they have completely disappeared. Audi finally demonstrated serious decisiveness. Is it too late, though?
With the initial recruitment of Mattia Binotto (former Ferrari team boss) as Chief Technical Officer and Chief Operating Officer, and then the contracting of Jonathan Wheatley as future team boss, Audi suddenly has two absolute heavyweights on board; at least men more appealing than the rather anonymous Andreas Seidl who until recently was in charge of the project.
Seidl gave few, if any, interviews; virtually the only times he was in the news was with stories about his troubled relationship with Oliver Hoffmann (chairman of the Sauber group's board of directors). This pair were tasked with first transforming the current Stake F1 (Sauber) into at least a decent team and then having a 'big bang' with Audi's entrance. But the car that Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou are struggling with is the laughing stock of the F1 grid. The pair have yet to score a single point in '24, and for now it does not look like that will change any time soon.
Malaise cost Audi chance at Sainz
Meanwhile, Audi had already taken possession of 100 per cent of the Sauber team's shares, though, and the Volkswagen Group brand was now fairly foolish. Probably the lack of competitiveness at Sauber (now and probably next season too) contributed to Carlos Sainz (despite a generous salary) opting out of an adventure with the Germans. Rather, he opted for the modest Williams rather than the ambitious car giant Audi. Ouch!
The poor performance this season, the murky relationship between the two front-runners Seidl and Hoffmann and the laborious search for a driver alongside Nico Hulkenberg must have made the big bosses in Ingolstadt decide that things needed to change course drastically - and fast! So with Binotto and Wheatley, two men of note have joined the team, and there is hope that a change of direction can still be achieved. To what extent that will work out for the short term remains to be seen. The team cannot be expected to perform miracles next season, as it is too far behind even Haas and Williams.
Which driver will be next to Hulkenberg?
Possibly Binotto and Wheatley could persuade hesitant drivers to come to Audi after all. One drawback though: the real top drivers, even the subtoppers, have all found shelter elsewhere. There is a real chance that Audi will fall back on Valtteri Bottas for 2025 and 2026, a driver they had actually wanted to say goodbye to. After all, who else? Daniel Ricciardo, should he fall out of favour with Visa Cash App RB?
Especially looking to the future, Audi might choose to give a young talent a chance alongside the seasoned Hulkenberg, and grow with the German squad. The name of Gabriel Bortoleto (McLaren junior) is circulating, just as Liam Lawson has also been linked to Audi. The latter is free to go wherever he wants, if Red Bull does not give him a permanent seat in Formula 1 for next season. The advantage for Lawson may be that Wheatley knows the New Zealander very well.
In any case, these will be exciting weeks for Audi: with Binotto and soon Wheatley, will it still succeed in attracting a strong second driver? And can at least something of the sporting malaise be brought to a halt? Either way, things are going to be tight because a lot of time has already been lost before Audi can really take a serious step with the F1 project now.
This article has been written in collaboration with Matt Gretton