According to the new program manager, the future Audi F1 engine is progressing well and should allow the German manufacturer to be fully operational for its entry into the sport in 2026.
Recruited two months ago to lead the ring brand maneuver in Formula 1, Mattia Binotto is now assessing the scale of the challenge.
If the Sauber team still has enormous progress to make to regain a level of competitiveness worthy of the name, it is the V6 turbo hybrid engines which constitute another source of concern for observers.
Starting from scratch, even though the program was gradually implemented several years ago at the Audi Sport site in Neuburg in Bavaria, represents quite a challenge for engine manufacturers recruited from all sides from Porsche, Renault and Mercedes.
Learning process
“I visited Neuburg recently, explains Binotto. The engine is progressing well, it is running on the test bench and has already covered long distances so far. It’s a learning process. We are competing with other teams where the manufacturers are well established. So any outside experience is welcome.”
The former Scuderia Ferrari team principal took stock with Adam Baker, head of the Neuburg factory, and the engineers who are designing the power unit for 2026.
Intense development program
“The organization there is excellent, the facilities are modern and the programs are moving forward, but we don’t know where we stand compared to the competition, he insists.
It’s only when we hit the trail that we’ll see more clearly, but we have more than a year until then.”
“An intense program is underway on the test benches and our task will be to ensure that we can implement it by accelerating as much as possible, trying to be as competitive as possible by early 2026, he concludes. We will only be at the beginning of a development which will continue in the seasons to come, but we are moving on the right path…”
