After driving for Audi at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Allan McNish remained with the German manufacturer throughout his retirement years as a driver. Having become director of the manufacturer’s Formula E team, he is now one of the pillars of the brand’s F1 project, which will launch in 2026.
“My relationship with Audi has evolved in different areas” explained McNish. “I went from being a liaison between the drivers, engineering and design – because I knew them both, I knew their problems and I could communicate them in a little different way – to that of team principal in Formula E.”
“I had said that I never wanted to manage a team, because I didn’t want to deal with people like me – big-headed drivers! It was a very different situation, but I really enjoyed it .”
“It gave me the spark and the idea that ‘what we’re doing is really important; we can make a difference here’. Obviously, when we ended that program, the F1 program started.”
If the Scotsman is confident about the Audi project, it is because he sees better preparation than at Toyota, with whom he launched a project of the same scale in 2002: “Everything has to fall into place. You can’t put people in a room and expect everything to work.”
-“You need a mix of youth and experience, energetic people and analytical people, and you need to find the right people for the right jobs. At Toyota, as I said, I think they had a little trouble doing it, because they started from scratch in all areas.”
“You can always learn from every experience, and especially from the next experience. If you can think a little, it guides you in the direction you need to take.”
“It’s a tough challenge, there’s no place tougher than where we’re heading, but it’s what gets you up in the morning. If you don’t like competition, you Shouldn’t be in this game.”
