'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUH/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAwSIH/8QAHhAAAwEAAQUBAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDBAAFBhEhUXL/2gAIAQEAAT8Axdw6K9My4rSjohmLOqNMFiSGHsn981vkjqtJBUqjlQfPw8//xAAWEQADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATH/2gAIAQIBAT8AdP/EABURAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABB/9oACAEDAQE/AI//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Audi team boss Mattia Binotto has shared a depressing timeline for when the German brand could fight for the title, and he feels it is not going to happen before 2030. The Swiss took over from Andreas Seidl early in the year and has since been focused on trying to assess where the project is in terms of status.
First impressions do not seem great at the moment, as Binotto feels it's going to be a long time before Audi gets closer to the front. The German brand had announced in 2022 that it would enter F1. The man for the job was supposed to be Andreas Seidl, as he managed the systematic takeover of Sauber.
In the last couple of years, while the plan has changed from 75% to 100% ownership of Sauber, there's not much that has happened in terms of either track performance or off-track progress. Audi's power unit efforts have been going on in the background but the racing and chassis unit at Hinwil is in desperate need of an overhaul.
Trending
This was one of the reasons behind Andreas Seidl getting the boot, and being replaced by Mattia Binotto. Talking to the Italian publication Corriere della Sera, the former Ferrari man acknowledged that the project would take time to mature before the team was good enough to fight for the title. Sharing a depressing timeline of 2030 as the time when Audi would fight for the title, the CEO said:
"Other teams have taken years to get to the top. Todt joined Maranello in 1993, and the first constructors' title was in 1999. Same thing for Mercedes. It takes 5-7 years, we expect to be able to fight in 2030."
Binotto was also questioned about Jonathan Wheatley's arrival to the team from Red Bull, as the new hire would be the team principal of the squad when he becomes a part of it. Talking about how this was a positive, he said:
"Happy for Jonathan's arrival, we have followed a similar path in different teams. His hiring is an important signal, if he has come to us, it is because he has guarantees."
Audi is yet to decide the path it will take to climb the F1 pecking order
In a stark acknowledgment of where Audi was in terms of the pecking order, Mattia Binotto stated that the German squad was not where it wanted to be in terms of performance. On the contrary, it was right at the beginning of its journey, with the direction they would take to ultimately climb the field yet to be decided. He said:
"To be in F1, to stay there for a long time to create a winning team and become a reference in technology. We are at the beginning of the climb, Everest is in front of us and now we can only see the base. We are deciding which side to climb from, it is important to establish a path."
Audi is yet to even finalize the team's second driver. Mattia Binotto truly has a task in front of him that would require extensive overhaul from his side.
