Audi Formula 1 boss Mattia Binotto has addressed the speculation linking Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri with the German manufacturer, offering a measured response that may do little to stop the paddock rumor mill from turning.
Sainz has obvious connections to Audi after holding extensive talks with the manufacturer in 2024 while searching for a seat following Ferrari’s decision to sign Lewis Hamilton.
The Spaniard eventually opted for Williams, where he scored two podiums in his first season, but the team’s struggles with its 2026 car have inevitably revived questions about his long-term future.
Piastri, meanwhile, represents a considerably more outlandish rumor. The Australian is committed to McLaren, making suggestions of an Audi move little more than paddock fantasy at this stage. Yet his name has nevertheless entered the increasingly imaginative conversation surrounding the Hinwil squad’s driver plans.
Binotto unmoved by the speculation
Binotto, for his part, insists he is not losing sleep over the chatter surrounding either driver.
“First, I'm not reading the newspapers myself, or not reading much, so I'm hearing from you,” Binotto told Dutch website RacingNews365 when asked about the speculation.
The Audi boss then acknowledged why Sainz’s name continues to surface, given their previous relationship, while making clear that he has no immediate desire to change his current pairing of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto.
“Carlos is certainly a person whom I know very well, and it's somehow easy and obvious to link him to Audi, but I can only say that I'm very happy with the line-up we have,” he said.
Audi’s current driver combination offers an appealing balance of experience and youth, with Hulkenberg bringing years of F1 knowledge while Bortoleto represents one of the sport’s most promising young talents.
But Binotto believes reducing the duo to that simple formula does them both a disservice.
“Often, when discussing Gabriel and Nico, what I hear is that it is a good mix between experience and, on the other side, the young driver,” the Italian explained.
“Instead, I would judge them differently. They are two very fast drivers, and I am happy because they are fast drivers, both of them, so we've got a good line-up.”
Rumors are a compliment
Interestingly, Binotto does not appear particularly troubled by the speculation itself. Instead, he views the growing list of names being associated with Audi as evidence that the manufacturer’s ambitious project is beginning to command greater respect.
“The fact that other drivers are linked to our team, I can only be very happy with because it is showing the credibility of our project is improving,” he said.
“It is showing that the perception from the outside that one day we can become competitive is no longer a rumour, but it is a fact.”
That may be the most revealing part of Binotto’s response. Audi may not currently need Sainz, and the Piastri connection looks fanciful at best given his McLaren commitment, but the very fact that established stars are being mentioned alongside the manufacturer suggests its reputation is changing.
For now, Hulkenberg and Bortoleto remain Audi’s men. Whether that remains the case as the team’s ambitions grow, however, could become one of the more intriguing questions surrounding its Formula 1 future.
Read also: Hakkinen warns McLaren on Verstappen move: ‘Why rock the boat?’
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