Audi has announced a shake-up of the management team in charge of its new Formula 1 project which will see former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto return to the series.
Andreas Seidl, who joined Audi from McLaren to be CEO of its F1 team, and board representative Oliver Hoffmann will both leave the project. Audi is due to rebrand Sauber’s F1 team at the end of 2025 and has already hired Nico Hulkenberg as one of its drivers.
Audi says it is overhauling the management structure of its team in order to ensure the F1 project is an independent entity with the manufacturer.
“Our aim is to bring the entire Formula 1 project up to F1 speed by means of clear management structures, defined responsibilities, reduced interfaces, and efficient decision-making processes,” said Gernot Dollner, the Audi CEO who will now chair the team’s board of directors. “For this purpose, the team must be able to act independently and quickly.”
Binotto will report to the board of directors and take over the roles of chief operating officer and chief technical officer. “With his extensive experience of more than 25 years in Formula 1, he will undoubtedly be able to make a decisive contribution for Audi,” said Dollner.
Having spent his entire F1 career at Ferrari, Binotto will bring valuable experience of running a full manufacturer team which produces both its own chassis and power unit. He rose to the role of team principal of Ferrari in 2019 and guided the team to second in the constructors’ championship. However he left the team after it fell short of championship success in 2022 following a strong start to the season.
Dollner expressed his thanks to Seidl and Hoffmann. Binotto will take over at the beginning of next month.
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