Audi has officially announced the hiring of former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto as Chief Operating and Chief Technical Officer of Sauber Motorsport AG. To everyone’s surprise, Andreas Seidl, CEO of Sauber Group and the Formula 1 program of the four-ring company, and Oliver Hoffman, responsible for the motorsport project, have been relieved of their respective duties. This comes as a shock considering the progress reported by the German manufacturer regarding their plans for the motorsport series. According to the official announcement, the development of the turbo-hybrid unit was proceeding at a fast pace and in line with the planned schedule.
The Formula Racing division, based in Neuburg, had successfully completed the bench simulation phase of the new power units designed and built in Germany. In this context, Adam Baker, CEO of AFR, and technical director Stefan Dreyer had recently provided important details on the state of the art of the program for the highest category of motorsport. The chief executive officer of Audi Formula Racing had revealed with some satisfaction that the new German power unit had covered several simulations on the 22 test benches inside the factory.
In short, there didn’t seem to be any prerequisites for what actually takes on the appearance of a real revolution, with just over a year and a half remaining until the track debut. The increasingly frequent presence of Mattia Binotto on race weekends demonstrated the former Ferrari man’s desire to return to the Formula 1 paddock. In recent weeks, his name had been linked to Alpine, an F1 team undergoing a reorganization phase. For the former Ferrari team principal, this is the most ambitious challenge of his career, as he gradually rose through the ranks at the Maranello team to reach the helm, before leaving the Italian side at the end of the 2022 Formula 1 championship, a season that started perfectly for Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc able to secure two dominant race victories in the first three rounds of the year, the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Australian Grand Prix and an F1-75 single-seater that started the season with an impressive pace. However, power unit reliability problems and a series of questionable strategy decisions made by the Maranello pit wall led to several opportunities being lost in the first part of the season, before Red Bull gradually outdeveloped Ferrari and clearly had the fastest car in the second part of the year, going on to easily win both the Drivers and the Constructors championship.
The next mission awaiting the lanky Italian manager on paper is clearly the most challenging, as Audi is debuting in the top category and if he has only now been given these responsibilities, it means that the Formula 1 program is not progressing as smoothly as the German management claimed weeks ago. Additionally, it should be noted that in Hinwil last winter, they produced the worst technical project on the starting grid. A worrying decline for a team accustomed to occupying higher positions in the standings.
Regarding Ferrari and Mattia Binotto, the wound is still open, too little time has passed for it to heal. We are talking about the resignation of the former team principal at the end of 2022. This was essentially a true dismissal for what we could call “just cause.”, a concept usually found within the field of employment law that typically refers to whether an employer had a good reason or “just cause” to terminate an employee. The decline of Ferrari in what was supposed to be the season of redemption and the irreparable rift in the relationship with Charles Leclerc, in fact, marked the end of a professional collaboration that lasted over 30 years. This means that Mattia Binotto knows the ins and outs of many men and women working in Maranello.
The possibility that loyal former collaborators of the Italian manager might help the former Ferrari engineer rebuild their partnership under Audi’s banner is a realistic hypothesis. For this reason, there has been talk in recent days of a concerted effort to lure Enrico Gualtieri away from Ferrari, the head of the power unit area and father of the 066/13 turbo-hybrid power unit. The Prancing Horse has just processed the departure of Italian aerodynamicist Enrico Cardile, who was in charge of the Aerodynamics Department and worked as the vehicle project manager. A potential departure of such an experienced power unit engineer such as Enrico Gualtieri would undoubtedly be very problematic, especially considering the preparations for the 2026 F1 rules and regulations.
Therefore, it is likely that one of the main missions of Audi’s new head is to strengthen the currently weaker areas of the two structures commanded by the German giant. We are talking about Hinwil in Switzerland and Neuburg, the facility where the next-generation power unit is being developed. The risk of significant insourcing of prominent professionals from the historic Maranello team is far from remote. Nonetheless, at least for now, according to our information, Enrico Gualtieri has responded with a firm no.
In statements made on the eve of the Hungarian Grand Prix, last Thursday to be precise, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur said that in September, two high-profile reinforcements would be officially announced, both with surnames consisting of five letters. Noting that Andreas Seidl fits the description provided by the Ferrari team principal, the potential arrival of the German manager would place him in a significantly less relevant position than the role he held at Audi until now, when he will leave the team built from January 2023.
