Former Ferrari team principal joined the team last August as COO and CTO, following the departure of CEO Andreas Seidl and Audi executive Oliver Hoffmann. The changes come as the team prepares to become Audi's official Formula 1 team from 2026.
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The 2024 season was a major failure for Sauber, who finished last in the manufacturers' ranking with only four points. From now on, Mattia Binotto directs a large-scale transformationwhile Audi has great ambitions for its F1 project.
A new alignment for 2025
As part of this transformation, Sauber will align a brand new driver duo in 2025 : the veteran Nico Hülkenberg and the promising rookie Gabriel Bortoleto. This change marks the end of the collaboration with Valtteri Bottas et Zhou Guanyuthe drivers from the previous season.
However, Mattia Binotto believes that the necessary changes go far beyond the team composition and concern all members of the Hinwil-based organization. The goal is to turn things around and show signs of progress next season.
Asked in Abu Dhabi, during the final race weekend of 2024, whether Valtteri Bottas believed Sauber needed to develop a winning mentality, Mattia Binotto replied: “I completely agree with him. In fact, I think this team, over the last few years and even the last decade, has been operating in survival mode. »
“At the end of the day, it was about surviving, participating, trying to make the most of it. But a winning mentality, a winning mindset, is a different approach. So there is certainly a lot to do in terms of culture and behavior,” he explains.
A long road to 2026
While the arrival of Audi in 2026 is getting closerMattia Binotto also highlighted other crucial factors in the transformation process, including the announcement last November that the Qatar Investment Authority had acquired a significant minority stake in Sauber Holding AG.
“It’s a long road, we realize that, and acting on behavior is perhaps the most difficult part. But we have begun our journey,” continued the Italian.
“I think we have several projects… I have to say that since I started a lot of things have already happened, not just improvements on the track, like the signing of Bortoleto and the implementation of a new alignment for next year. »
“This also includes Qatar, with their investment and partnership, which represents a significant injection of capital for us, but it shows that as a team we are moving in the right direction, with the right approach and a state ambitious in spirit. This is exactly the mentality we are talking about,” he concludes.
