Binotto details Audi’s R26 weaknesses as F1 reality bites

Audi F1 chief Mattia Binotto has delivered a blunt and revealing assessment of the manufacturer’s troubled start to life on the grid, laying bare the extensive performance issues plaguing the R26 –beginning with its underwhelming power unit.

Beneath the polished exterior of its challenger lies a machine grappling with fundamental deficits, exposing just how steep the climb is for a team building its own F1 ecosystem from scratch.

Audi’s struggles begin with its all-new engine program – an ambitious undertaking that was always expected to define the team’s early trajectory, as Binotto explained.

Power unit deficit: 'A matter of fact'

"We are aware as well that if I look at the overall performance and the gap to the best, where the biggest performance to gain is on the power unit itself, so most of our gap in performance is in the power unit, which is not a surprise," he said in an interview with the official F1 website.

From the outset, Audi knew the scale of the challenge. Designing a competitive Formula 1 power unit under a set of new regulations is among the sport’s most complex engineering tasks.

"We would have expected it. We know how difficult it is to build a brand-new power unit so it's not something which surprised us. It's not something which disappoints us. No, it's a matter of fact,” the Italian added.

"We knew that would have been the biggest challenge. We knew that it's where there is the most to gain in performance, because I think the gap is significant, mainly on the power unit, but we've got plans to develop it.

"It's part of our journey. We have set an overall objective for 2030, not by chance, because we knew how long it would take. We are focusing on where we are and what's required."

The deficit is not accidental – it is structural. And closing it will take sustained development rather than quick fixes.

Beyond horsepower: Efficiency, deployment, and driveability

Yet the R26’s issues extend well beyond outright power. According to Binotto, how the engine delivers performance is proving just as damaging as the lack of it.

"It's not only power. It's energy efficiency, energy deployment, but as well, it's about driveability of the engine itself,” Binotto explained.

“When you come to driveability, it's also with the gear change, which are very harsh for us at the moment.

"The car is unstable in braking, unstable in acceleration because of the harshness of the gear change. Maybe the ratio arrangements are not right. There is so much on driveability, as much as on pure performance.

"I think if you make the sum of the two, between performance and driveability, it can be up to a second per lap just by then. I believe that the car itself, chassis side, we've done a good job. Most of the delta is from the power unit. We will make it."

The Audi chief’s comments paints a picture of a car compromised not just by lack of pace, but by inconsistency – where gear shifts disrupt balance and energy systems fail to deliver seamlessly.

A crucial reset window

A rare five-week gap in the calendar – following the cancellation of early-season races – has given Audi a much-needed opportunity to regroup.

"I think it's really a chance for us because, since the winter testing, we have been focused so much on addressing all the problems we had, making sure that for the following event or race we were prepared and had solved them," Binotto said.

"I think that race preparation has been very time consuming for us. Once you are absorbed completely by race preparation, you can't develop as you wish so I think that April off, which is not an off obviously, will be very important for us to rejoin, refocus on what are the next developments, and make sure that we are not only fixing problems but developing properly."

For a team stuck in a reactive loop, Formula 1’s current pause could be pivotal – offering a chance to shift from firefighting to forward planning.

Audi’s F1 project was never designed for instant success, and Binotto’s remarks underline that reality with striking honesty.

The R26 is not just underperforming – it is revealing the full complexity of building a competitive works operation from the ground up.

For now, progress will not be measured in podiums, but in incremental gains. And if Binotto’s roadmap holds, Audi’s true benchmark lies not in 2026 – but in the years leading to 2030.

Read also:

• Towriss: Cadillac engine programme running ‘ahead of schedule’

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