Yahoo Autos Sauber Hires Ex-Ferrari Boss Mattia Binotto to Run Audi F1
Mattia Binotto is back. The former Ferrari Formula 1 boss and Drive to Survive personality is set to join Sauber this summer, where he will try to get the company's F1 team in order before it becomes the Audi factory Formula 1 program in 2026.
Current team CEO Andreas Seidl and current Sauber chairman Oliver Hoffmann are leaving in corresponding moves, thus ending their reported power struggle. Audi CEO Gernot Dollner will take over Hoffmann's role, forging another strong connection between the team and the manufacturer it's set to represent.
Binotto previously served as Ferrari team principal for four years, running the show from January 2019 to December 2022. The team won seven times over that span, adding two runner-up finishes in the constructor's championship but never getting close to Mercedes for a title on either the driver's or manufacturer's side. Before his time in team leadership, Binotto worked at Ferrari for 25 years as an engineer and, later, as chief technical officer. He has been out of the sport entirely since leaving Ferrari a season and a half ago.
That all changes on August 1st, when Binotto begins his role as both chief operating officer and chief technical officer of the soon-to-be Audi F1 operation. Binotto will be charged with turning around a floundering program that has not scored a podium in over a decade and has not yet scored a point in 2024. Sauber's first driver signing of its next era, Nico Hülkenberg, has notably also never achieved a podium finish. He will turn 38 during his first season as an Audi driver in 2026; the team has not yet signed a second driver.
Binotto and Hülkenberg make for an odd pair of foundational hires. One was dropped by a major team by choice recently, while the other has been a career journeyman notable for his over-performance in poor equipment rather than his overall strength on track. Their strength is a wealth of experience outside of Sauber. That will make them essential outside voices in the team's rebirth — a necessity for what is currently the last-ranked team in Formula 1.
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