Is Binotto to Audi a good choice? 'It won't be easy for him'

"I believe Mattia is a good choice. I worked with him for a long time at Ferrari and before that we were friends, so I know him quite well. He understands the business language and knows how to set up the right structure and create the right processes. I don't want to say it's easy for him, because nothing is easy in Formula 1. But at least he knows how to go about it," Steiner explains his position at SRF.

Binotto as team boss at Ferrari

Yet there was also criticism of Mattia Binotto, who eventually left after a long tenure at Ferrari. During his time as team boss of the Italian team, things also went wrong, including the strategy and the lack of further development of the cars.

Steiner does not really care about that and also points to the fact that Binotto was always the technical man first, and only later moved on to the role of team boss. "We all make mistakes and when he was given the position of team boss, he had to learn the first few years the painful way. And you learn from mistakes you don't repeat."

2025 secondary

In Steiner's view, Binotto's main focus will have to be on 2026. In recent years, the still pointless Sauber/Stake F1 has not really played a significant role in Formula 1 this season and the team would be wise to throw all its balls at 2026. "He needs to focus on what comes in 2026. He needs to build a structure so that Audi in 2026 is not in the same situation as Sauber is in now."

Binotto will work closely with Jonathan Wheatley, Red Bull's current team manager. Wheatley will take on the role of team boss in the future. He will join the team no later than July 2025 - after a period of gardening leave.

This article has been written in collaboration with Matt Gretton