Audi has admitted that the current performance of Sauber, the team they will take over in 2026, is not up to par. Mattia Binotto, the man at the helm of the F1 project, has made it clear that significant improvements are needed before Sauber can evolve into a winning team.
Disappointing Results
Currently, the Swiss team Sauber is at the bottom of the constructors’ championship, having not scored a single point this season. As Audi prepares for a full entry into Formula 1 in 2026, Binotto has emphasized that Sauber’s current performance cannot be overlooked. “We cannot afford this,” Binotto declared during the Italian Grand Prix. “This is the team that needs to become a winning team in the future. The only way to achieve that is by making progress now.”
The Urgency of Improvement
Binotto has emphasized that steps need to be taken not only in the long term to make Audi successful, but immediate improvements are also necessary to enhance Sauber’s current situation. “We cannot continue to lag behind. It is painful to see that we finished last and second last in Zandvoort and had the same positions in the Monza qualification. We need to make efforts to improve. Our current position is absolutely not comfortable, it is even very painful,” said the Italian.
A Long Process
Binotto, who officially started at Audi on August 1 (UST), has used the past weeks to evaluate where the team currently stands. His first impression is that there is still a lot of work to be done before Sauber can grow into a team that can compete for victories. However, Binotto has acknowledged that it will take several years before Audi is ready to achieve successes in Formula 1. The F1 project is therefore seen as a long-term project.
