Audi may not be among the protagonists of the 2026 Formula 1 season, but Mattia Binotto believes that the current results do not reflect the true potential of the project. According to the Italian executive, the team already has one of the best chassis on the grid, even if this has not yet consistently appeared in the championship standings.
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The German manufacturer began its official journey in the category, aware that the fight for wins and titles would be a long-term goal. Developing its own power unit for the new technical era of F1 has always been seen as one of the biggest challenges of the program, but Binotto considers that the car’s evolution already represents a significant advance.
In a participation on the Beyond The Grid podcast, the former Ferrari boss and current Audi director highlighted his satisfaction with the work done by the team in Hinwil: “I think we can make it,” he said when asked about the car’s performance beyond the limitations imposed by the engine. “And I am very satisfied with the chassis.”
The executive went further and made a very optimistic assessment of the competitiveness of Audi’s current structure: “I think our car is quite fast in the corners. We even came to believe that maybe we are the fourth team in terms of chassis, which, for the former Sauber, is an extraordinary result,” he said.
The analysis draws attention because the team’s results do not yet place it among the main forces of the championship. While Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull Racing continue to form the reference group, other teams in the midfield pack, such as Williams, Racing Bulls, and Haas, have managed to better capitalize on their opportunities on various weekends.
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Binotto, however, sees reasons for confidence. According to him, the correlation between development tools and the car’s behavior on the track shows that the team is moving in the right direction: “We have a good correlation between the wind tunnel and the simulator. From an engineering point of view, that was the most important. We have taken a step forward in our processes and methodologies,” he said.
Despite the praise for the chassis, the Italian acknowledged that the main deficiency of the project lies in the power unit: “If we measure our difference compared to the best competitors, probably the biggest gap is in the power unit’s performance, its controls, and drivability,” he added.
For now, Audi’s expectation is that this disadvantage will not be eliminated quickly. Binotto stated that the team is working with a longer horizon to catch up with its competitors: “We believe it will not be possible to reach the appropriate level in 2027, but rather in 2028,” the Italian concluded, indicating that the engine’s evolution will be the next decisive step to transform the chassis’s potential into more expressive results on the track.
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