Binotto backs Audi know-how over Red Bull Powertrains’ head start

As Formula 1 races toward its seismic 2026 reset, Audi is preparing to enter the sport’s most competitive arena with a message that is pointed, patient, and quietly confident.

According to Audi F1 boss Mattia Binotto, the German manufacturer may not win the first punch – but it believes it will win the fight.

With radically new regulations on the horizon – slightly smaller, lighter cars and power units split evenly between electric and combustion – F1 has lured two heavyweight automotive names into engine manufacturing.

Ford is returning via its high-profile alliance with Red Bull, while Audi is building a full works operation around Sauber. Inevitably, comparisons have followed.

Red Bull Powertrains-Ford arrives with momentum. The Milton Keynes-based project has aggressively recruited talent, including a significant number of engineers from Mercedes, giving it a perceived early edge. Binotto does not deny that advantage – but he questions its durability.

“I think they’ve got more specific skills,” Binotto said in an interview with RacingNews365.

What Audi lacks in short-term F1 engine experience, he argues, it makes up for in something harder to replicate: institutional depth.

“We’ve got the background of what’s Audi, what’s the knowledge of Audi, which in the long term will certainly make the difference.”

Building Foundations, Not Headlines

Binotto is no stranger to long-term thinking. Now group CEO of the Sauber/Audi F1 project, he is overseeing the transformation alongside Jonathan Wheatley, the former Red Bull sporting director tasked with running the team.

Their brief is not to chase instant glory, but to construct something durable. By Binotto’s own assessment, the project is unfolding to plan.

“It’s going in the right path, the right direction,” he said, adding that Audi is “building some credibility”.

That credibility was not always taken for granted. Early scepticism surrounded Audi’s commitment, with doubts about whether the manufacturer would see the project through.

Those concerns have since eased as tangible signs of investment have stacked up: the Qatar Investment Authority acquiring a stake in the team, and Revolut coming on board as title sponsor.

Inside the organisation, Binotto says the message is clear.

• Read also: Audi sets date to unveil 2026 F1 car livery and team identity

“For the employees, that’s pretty clear. We are expanding, we are investing in the long term,” he said.

“Those facts are bringing a lot of credibility towards the project for the employees. There is no doubt that Audi is fully committed.

“The investments that we are doing currently with Audi, all of them are long-term projects because they are investments that we will see the return on them, in terms of performance, maybe in three or four years’ time.”

In a sport increasingly shaped by regulation cycles and strategic patience, Audi is betting that heritage, scale and accumulated knowledge will ultimately outlast any early advantage that Red Bull may enjoy.

But as ever in Formula 1, the stopwatch will deliver the final verdict.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook