Mattia Binotto is returning to the world of Formula One.
Ahead of Sauber Motorsport AG’s 2026 debut, Audi announced that the former leader of the Ferrari team will join the firm in August to serve as chief operational and chief technical officer. “Responsibility and accountability for the operative management and sporting success of the racing team” is his assigned responsibility.
This action is a part of the larger management reorganization. Oliver Hoffmann, the former chairman of the board of directors, and Sauber CEO Andreas Seidl are departing the project as part of the reorganization. In 2022, Seidl departed from McLaren to join Sauber ahead of Audi’s acquisition. Audi said that this “realignment of the control structure” will ensure “the autonomy and independence of the Audi F1 project.”
“Our aim is to bring the entire Formula 1 project up to F1 speed by means of clear management structures, defined responsibilities, reduced interfaces, and efficient decision-making processes,” stated Sauber Motorsport AG chairman and CEO of Audi, Gernot Döllner, in a news release. The team needs to be able to move swiftly and autonomously for this to happen.
This reorganization of the management team occurs while Audi is getting ready to make its race debut when it takes over the Sauber-run team. The only team without a point so far this season is Sauber, and the team has not yet revealed their roster for 2025, which presently just includes Nico Hülkenberg.
“The prospect of competing for Audi is something very special,” Hülkenberg said in a statement when the multi-year agreement was announced. “When a German manufacturer enters Formula One with such determination, it is a unique opportunity. To represent the factory team of such a car brand with a power unit made in Germany is a great honor for me.”
With 25 years of Formula One experience, Binotto will answer to the board of directors. The Italian, who was born in Switzerland, worked with Ferrari from 1995 until the conclusion of the 2022 season, working his way up to become the head of the technical divisions for the engines and chassis. After Ferrari finished 205 points behind Red Bull in the constructors’ title and failed to win the championship, Binotto left the team at the end of 2022. Binotto had joined the Ferrari team in 2019. In 2023, Fred Vasseur, who had previously worked at Sauber, was appointed team principal for Ferrari.
(Photo: Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images)
